CHARITY is top of musician Laurie Holloway's agenda this weekend. A concert for Scannappeal in High Wycombe tonight is followed by a performance at Windsor Parish Church on Saturday night to raise money for The Walk School in Kenya and The Rivertime Boat Trust.

Laurie, who will be playing with his Trio at the Union Baptist Church tonight, tells me the concert will have a "bit of everything". He adds: "I try not to play all jazz, as it can be a bit narrow. I play both classic and popular music, good old American standards from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and more."

He says he is delighted to be playing for Scannappeal, a cause "close to his heart". Laurie's wife, jazz singer Marion Montgomery, died of cancer six years ago.

The couple set up the Montgomery Holloway Music Trust together, and students from the trust will be playing at Friday's concert. "We try and help the students get some experience," Laurie, who lives in Bray, explains. The trust runs for a week during July at Desborough School in Maidenhead. Laurie says: "We try to push people up, and give them professional advice like how to go on stage."

Now in its tenth year, the trust welcomes youngsters aged from mid teens to early 20s. Performances are part of the learning, with impromtu concerts taking place in the Crown in Bray and the Belgian Arms in Holyport, as well as a planned event at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts at the end of the week-long seminar.

"I have always been very impressed with the performances," Laurie says. "They come in on a Monday, and by the Saturday, they are just fantastic. What they have done in a week is fantastic."

Laurie has enjoyed a glittering career, working with some of the biggest names in music and television. He was musical director of Strictly Come Dancing for the first three series, and had the same role on Parkinson.

"Strictly Come Dancing was great fun," he remembers. "It was live at 6.30pm on Saturdays, and there was no time to mess about. You have to get it right.

"I was doing that and Parkinson at the same time, and it got too much. I didn't know he was going to stop, I guess I backed the wrong horse," Laurie jokes.

Recently, Laurie worked on Happy Birthday Brucie, celebrating Bruce Forsyth's 80th birthday.

He looked after Liza Minelli during the show, who he has worked with previously. He has also worked with Dame Cleo Laine, Judy Garland, Anthony Newley, Rolf Harris, Engelbert Humperdinck and Dame Edna Everage.

Laurie is 70 later this month, and still has the passion for music he had as a four year old, when he first started playing the piano. He says: "I recently conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, and it was great fun. I always like conducting a big orchestra."

For details of the Union Baptist Church concert, telephone 01494 812458, and for details of the Windsor concert, telephone 01494 716427 or 01753 851542.