Hugh CornwellFORMER Stranglers front- man Hugh Cornwell is coming to west Wiltshire tomorrow night to take part in a charity concert.

Cornwell, who shot to fame in the 1970s with the chart-topping band, will perform at the Civic Hall, in Trowbridge, to help raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami.

The concert is the last in a series of Wiltshire Rocks events, which started in January to raise £10,000 for a fishing province in Sri Lanka devastated by the tidal surge.

Since New Year about 50 concerts, jam sessions and fundraising events have been held across Wiltshire and parts of Somerset and £7,000 has been raised so far.

It is hoped the concert tomorrow night, featuring guitarist/vocalist Cornwell, punk band Farcue, the Chris Goulstone Band, Dr Joel Almeida and Adrenaline, will raise £3,000 to hit the project's target.

Chris Goulstone, a composer from Southwick, Jim Lynch and Kurt Paulus, the men behind the Woolley Festival were instrumental in launching Wiltshire Rocks.

Mr Goulstone said he was delighted with the public reaction to the appeal.

"I have been surprised from the start by the take-up and the support," he said.

"When the tsunami happened it took everyone by surprise. There has been a tremendous outpouring of generosity.

"We wanted to raise £10,000 and we are pretty damn close. It has come from £20 here and £60 there. It was felt it was important for us to have a specific target rather than send the money out to banks."

A £1,000 sum has already been sent out to the South Indian Federation of Fisherman Societies, which covers Nagapattinam in the Tamil Nadu province of Sri Lanka. The money was used to buy a 28ft fibreglass boat, to help people in the fishing district rebuild their lives and feed their families.

The fundraising target will buy 10 boats for the region.

Mr Goulstone said he was hopeful the final £3,000 would be raised tomorrow night.

"It is a really good line-up of entertainment, if people fancy something a bit different then they can come along," he said.

"This is our final push and it would be a feather in the cap for Wiltshire if we can reach our goal."

Tickets are priced at £7.50 and are available on the door. Bands are on stage from 6.30pm with the concert finishing at midnight.