THE audience at Bands in the Park this Sunday, (May 31) will be able to meet trainee guide dog Herbie in the company of new Malvern Town Council chairman Paul Tuthill.

Herbie, a labrador/retriever cross, will be at coun Tuthill's side on the bandstand in Priory Park as he introduces the afternoon's concert by the Lydbrook Brass Band.

Coun Tuthill's family provide 'bed and breakfast' for trainee guide dogs, giving them a place to stay in the evenings while they are being trained in the daytime.

They decided to take part in the Guide Dogs for the Blind boarding scheme after reading about it in the Malvern Gazette a couple of years ago.

And as a result coun Tuthill has now chosen Guide Dogs for the Blind as his chairman's charity during his year in office.

Later concerts in the Band in the Park series, which is organised by the town council, will feature collections for the charity.

"Like the RNLI, Guide Dogs for the Blind gets no government money and is funded entirely by voluntary donaions, legacies and so on," said coun Tuthill. "I urge everyone to support it."

This week's concert is a repeat by popular demand of one held a couple of years ago, featuring the music of Elgar, to mark the week of the composer's birthday. It starts at 2.30pm.