Community music-making, children’s crafts and a local history display are just some of the attractions at the Fleetville Festival this Sunday.

It runs from 3pm at St Paul’s Church, Blandford Road, St Albans, and features music ranging from Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm and Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues, performed by the Fleetville Swing Band to excerpts from Vivaldi’s Gloria, sung by The Fleetville Chorus.

The choirs of Fleetville Junior and Infant Schools will display their musical talents and the Fleetville a cappella choir, Fleetville Harmony, will sing Simon and Garfunkel and other modern classics.

Now in its eighth year, the festival has become a popular annual event in Fleetville since it was launched by the late Paul Olive, a local resident with a passion for music.

Walking the streets of Fleetville, he noticed that many houses had pianos, all kinds of musical instruments and music stands in their front rooms and it struck him that music would be a great way of bringing together the community in Fleetville.

He enlisted the support of local musical friends and he began a campaign to create a community orchestra with the emphasis on inclusivity so musicians could be of all ages and levels of ability.

This year the focus of the festival is on the Fleetville Swing Band who will be joined by 25 residents of all ages local to the area who will have the opportunity to perform alongside the regular musicians.

Tea and home-baked cakes and biscuits will be available during the interval to the accompaniment of the local ukelele band, The Jumpin’ Fleas. There will also be a display about Fleetville community history.

For further information email louisebrecknell@gmail.com.