National Trust volunteer Simon starts fundraising challenge to play 15 instruments across the south west

Simon Arnold, a volunteer for the National Trust, has started a challenge to play nearly every working piano or organ at a National Trust property in the south west, all to raise money to help keep music alive in these historic places.

Simon’s challenge, ‘Pachelbel’s Progress’ will see him head off to play at a total of 15 places over 11 days in September, not a small task! The repertoire will be chosen to reflect the spirit of each place, with pieces including Greensleeves, Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, The Charleston, Clair de Lune by Debussy and The Entertainer. Money raised from the challenge will be put towards conserving musical instruments of all kinds across the National Trust in the south west.

Simon said: ‘I’m very passionate about music and want to keep it alive through my playing – this is why I’m doing this challenge. Music has been part of my life since I was a child and is still something that I do every day in my retirement, especially as I already volunteer to play at six National Trust places. I came up with the challenge one day and thought, wouldn’t it be fun to do? From this I am hoping to raise enough money to restore some of the most impressive musical instruments in the National Trust’s collection, including Killerton’s pipe organ which is in need of a new pedal-board to bring it back to full fitness and also a 200 year old Broadwood grand piano.’

Simon’s musical journey began when he became a chorister at Christ Church Cathedral choir school, Oxford when he was just 8 years old.  He went on to become a lay clerk at Bath Abbey and Peterborough Cathedral after studying music at university in Bath. One special piece that will be played at each place is Pachelbel’s Canon.

Simon continued: ‘This challenge, ‘Pachelbel’s Progress’, means an awful lot to me. Pachelbel’s Canon is my favourite piece of music, it is beautifully memorable. I hope to raise enough money to conserve some historically significant keyboard instruments. I also want to inspire people of all ages to get involved with music and see what it can bring to their lives.’

National Trust properties taking part this September include: Cotehele (21st am); Coleton Fishacre (21st pm); Castle Drogo (22nd am); Lanhydrock (22nd pm); Stourhead (23rd); Trelissick (24th am); Trerice (24th pm); Bradley Manor (25th am); Greenway (25th pm); Overbeck’s (26th am); Buckland Abbey (26th pm); Killerton (27th am); Arlington Court (27th pm); St Michael’s Mount (30th) and Knightshayes (1st October).

Denise Melhuish from the National Trust’s Killerton, said: ‘Simon has been volunteering with us for four years and his passion and dedication to this is inspiring. We’re thrilled to be supporting this challenge and also hope his fingers are feeling particularly nimble for those two weeks. Music is something that has the ability to connect people with their memories and heritage so it is important that we conserve this for future generations.’

If you’d like to support Simon, why not pop along to see him whilst he is undertaking his challenge or you can visit his JustGiving page - www.justgiving.com/nationaltrustmusic