CELEBRATING the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, Blakedown Parish Rooms will be holding a special concert in its honour.

The concert, which will also raise money for Blakedown Parish Church and Mary Steven's Hospice, by showcasing the talents of renowned saxophonist Julian Smith.

Julian's distinctive soprano saxophone sound has been heard all over the world on Sony's Classic Chillout Series under his previous stage name Joolz Gianni.

He became better known after achieving second runner up placement in the 2009 series of Britain's Got Talent with 700,000 telephone votes and millions of YouTube views, just behind Susan Boyle, who came second, and Diversity who came first.

Since the show, he has been invited to play for the Prime Minister, toured arenas with the other Britain's Got Talent finalists, played for many prestigious events including Ark, Redcross, and Rays Of Sunshine, and even played for Prince Charles.

He has duetted with Kenny G at The Albert Hall, and has recently touring with The Stylistics vocals groups and lead singer Eban Brown.

On top performing live in front of and with many influential people in the industry and country, Julian's album Chilled 2 The Sax was released by record label-giant Sony.

The concert, at Blakedown Parish Rooms, on Friday, May 8, at 7.30pm, will also feature the local Blakedown choir Cast - Come And Sing Together.

Tickets for the show cost £12.50 and includes a glass of wine of a soft drink. To book, call 01562 700640.