The Prince of Wales will be guest of honour at a classical music concert in Dorchester Abbey.

Prince Charles was invited by the concert organisers, Music in Country Churches, a charitable trust of which he is patron.

The group was created to arrange weekends of music in rural churches of exceptional beauty and pay for their repair and maintenance.

The performance on Saturday, May 18, by the Takacs Quartet, will raise money for the £5m Dorchester Abbey appeal. The abbey will also host a fundraising concert by the English Chamber Orchestra on Friday, May 17, also organised by the trust.

A total of £3m has already been collected for the abbey's new heating system, to restore a shrine area as a place of prayer and to improve facilities for community use.

For tickets, which cost between £5 and £30, call 01603 628319.