THE countdown is on for one of the biggest musical extravaganzas Lacock Abbey has ever seen.

Workmen have been at the Abbey this week setting up the stage and getting the estate ready for Lacock Proms, which is being sponsored by the Gazette and Herald.

The picturesque abbey, the setting for part of the Harry Potter movie, opens its grounds on Saturday to thousands of picnic revellers complete with tables, chairs, bunting and flags.

Organisers have been building up for months for the classical music, fireworks and laser spectacular.

Between 6,000 and 7,000 people will be able to enjoy popular classical favourites, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Liz Box, marketing manager of organising company, tfe Concerts Limited, said everyone is delighted with how ticket sales had gone.

"Everything is more or less in place. People are on site making sure everything is set up for the performers to arrive at the weekend and then it is all systems go.

"We are expecting between 6,000 and 7,000 people at the event and are hoping the weather will stay good for the evening."

The performers will be conducted by Wiltshire resident and world-famous conductor Michael Reed. He is taking time out of his busy schedule to complete the famous line-up.

The concert is taking place at Lacock Abbey, owned by the National Trust, and home to international violinist and singer Petronella Dittmer.

Miss Dittmer and Mr Reed have known each other since they were students at the Royal College of Music.

Over the last 30 years they have performed together on many occasions and Lacock Proms will see them back together.

Miss Dittmer said: "I am looking forward to welcoming so many people to the event and hope everyone enjoys the sounds and sights. I am also looking forward to seeing Michael and performing with him."

Soon after the Lacock extravaganza Mr Reed will jet off to New York and Broadway, where he will be working with Michael Crawford in Dance of the Vampires.

"I am looking forward to the concert because everyone involved are friends. The concert is full of my favourite music and favourite people," said Mr Reed, who lives in Worton, near Devizes.

Special guest on the night will be Julian Lloyd Webber who is widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation.

Mr Lloyd Webber worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra more than a year ago at a special birthday gala concert in aid of the Prince's Trust at the Royal Albert Hall.

Mr Reed said he was also looking forward to working with the Royal Philharmonic again. He is a regular guest conductor with the orchestra.

The grounds open to the public at 6pm. There will a bar and gourmet barbecue although it is an opportunity for those with picnics to get a good seat and set up and enjoy their feast before the music and light entertainment starts.

Ms Box is advising people to turn up as close to 6pm as they can to be able to set up in the best areas and enjoy the best view. "It is going to be very busy so get here early," she said.

The concert starts at 8pm and the musical programme includes the Blue Danube, Fanfare for the Common Man, Jerusalem, and other Last Night of the Proms favourites.

There will be a half hour interval at 9pm and the concert, which will be accompanied by a spectacular firework display, will finish at 10.30pm.

Pyrovision, the brains and creative talent behind the dazzling firework display which marked the golden jubilee celebrations at Buckingham Palace, have been working on a display which will perfectly accompany the music.

Tickets are £25 for adults and £9 for children, from Wiltshire Gazette offices at Chippenham and Devizes, or from tourist information centres at Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge, or the National Trust Box Office (01985) 843601.

Cash raised will boost abbey garden project

THE musical extravaganza will not only bring some of the best performers together it will also raise money for the Lacock Glasshouse Project.

The intention is to restore the historically and horticulturally significant green house which was built as part of the Botanic Garden at Lacock Abbey in 1872 by botanist and photographer William Henry Fox Talbot.

William Fox Talbot is known as the founder of photography but was also a respected botanist.

He began developing the gardens at Lacock in 1827 and collected plants from all over the world. His botanic garden was located in the walled enclosure behind the barn that now houses the Fox Talbot Museum.

Most of the gardens had disappeared when the abbey was given to the National Trust in 1944. Fox Talbot's greenhouses were taken down after the war.

The National Trust started recreating the botanic garden three years ago.

Old photographs have been used by trust members to recreate the gardens exactly as they were in Fox Talbot's day.

National Trust property manager Graham Heard, said: "We want to re-establish the use of the botanic garden to enable us to interpret what Fox Talbot used to do here. It will also give us a better feel for how the place used to be."