FUND-RAISERS are hoping music lovers hold the key to opening a new advice centre for Alzheimer's sufferers in Kidderminster.

The Alzheimer's Society hopes to open a new drop-in centre by the end of the year and has organised a charity concert to raise money for its upkeep.

The event will feature Kidderminster ladies choir The Valentines, baritone singer Russell Painter and pianist David Morgan.

It will be held at St Mary's Church in Bewdley on Saturday.

The artists will perform a selection of popular numbers, including songs from the shows and golden oldies.

None of the forthcoming performers are strangers to the art of fundraising.

The Valentines recently helped the Salvation Army to raise £80,000 for the improvement of their town centre office by staging a charity concert.

They were formed as an offshoot of Kidderminster Male Choir and celebrated their 15th anniversary with a sell-out concert in February.

Valentines singer Pat Cunningham said it was appropriate they will perform Abba's hit, I Have a Dream, for the first time at the concert.

The choir's co-star for the evening, Russell Painter, is in his third year at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and hopes to become a professional singer.

He recently raised more than £900 for Wyre Forest Young Voices choir with An Evening with Russell and Friends, and generated £10,000 for Kidney Cancer UK with his September 2002 performance in West End musical Les Miserables.

The show's pianist David Morgan accepted a scholarship to study composition at Birmingham Conservatoire in 2002 and is now a member of Staffordshire Band.

He has worked as a freelance conductor and performer and is guest conductor of Lydbrook Silver Band.

He ais also principal trombonist with Warwickshire Orchestral Winds.

One of the event's organisers Ray Saull said he hoped the fundraiser would be the first of many to raise cash for the running of the centre.

"This is the initiation of the project and it's our first fundraising event for it," he said.

"We've already got sufficient funds to run it for 12 months so what we're doing is raising money to pay for things like furniture and desks.

"And because we are dependent on raising money, we will have similar events in future years to continue looking after it.

"We are currently looking for premises with easy access for the public.

"We're looking at town centre venues, preferably ground floor and with at least a couple of offices."

He added: "At the moment we run a support group and people come to our meetings, but what we want is an even more informal venue where people can just drop in.

"We've already been told by several people who heard about it that it's a great idea so we expect it to be well-utilised."

For more information on the concert, which starts at 7.30pm, contact 01299 861300.

Tickets are available from Fagins, Kidderminster; T H Hunter, Oxford Street, Kidderminster; Pete's Prints, Stourport; Bewdley Bookshop and St. Anne's Church on the night.