A FREE community picnic is set to be held on top of the Worcestershire Beacon as part of a week-long civic festival.

Members of the public are invited to gather in Rosebank Gardens, Malvern, at 6.30pm on Saturday, June 22, before walking up to the summit, led by a group of pipers.

The event is part of Malvern Civic Society’s ninth annual Midsummer Malvern festival and is raising money for the St Richard’s Hospice Build 2020 Appeal.

Roger Sutton, vice president of Malvern Civic Society, said: “This will be a unique opportunity for families to listen to the pipes on a summer evening on the iconic Worcestershire Beacon while supporting St Richard’s Hospice’s latest project.”

The evening is expected to finish at around 9.30pm, with guests invited to bring their own picnic and a drink.

Pipers are also welcome to attend the event and join the musicians in procession to the top of the Beacon.

Tricia Cavell, fundraising director at St Richard’s Hospice, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to be supported by this exciting event.

“It is set to be a wonderful evening atop the Beacon, enjoying music and breath-taking views across the area.

“We are very grateful to the civic society, which is supporting our Build 2020 Appeal with this event and a number of others during its Midsummer Malvern festivities.”

The hospice’s Build 2020 project is to expand and redevelop its existing base in Worcester, enabling it to care for more patients and families in the future.

It is part-way through the development work and is calling for help to raise the remainder of the £5.3 million project cost.

To find out more about Build 2020 visit strichards.org.uk/build2020.

For more information about the event, visit www.strichards.org.uk/event/worcestershire-beacon-picnic.

To read what’s coming up during Midsummer Malvern, which runs from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 30, visit malverncivicsociety.org.uk/midsummer-malvern-civic-week-21-29-june-2019/