ACCLAIMED folk singer and song writer Jez Lowe will give solo concerts at Aysgarth Church and at the Sacred Heart Church Hall in Northallerton over the weekend of May 16 and 17.

Both concerts are promoted by the Alverton Singers, based in Northallerton, which will provide the opening act each evening. Lowe will perform on guitar, cittern and harmonica.

“This is a new venture for the Alverton Singers," said choir leader, Joan Foster.

Lowe recently returned from his Men At Words tour of North America where he joined forces with James Keelaghan and Archie Fisher for joint appearances.

Richard Thompson has called him “The best singer songwriter to come out of the UK for a long time.”

The contributions of this musical ambassador for North-East to the BBC series The Radio Ballads cemented his reputation, with a Sony Radio Award among the many accolades coming his way.

He was recently nominated for the Folksinger of the Year and the Best Song in the 2015 BBC Folk Awards.

The Aysgarth concert is on Saturday, May 16, and the one at Northallerton on the Sunday evening. Tickets cost £13 and £5 for 16 and under. Concerts start at 7.30pm with a bar from 6.45pm. Bars will be open during the intervals and light refreshments will be available.

At Aysgarth church there is parking at The Falls on Church Bank near the junction with A684, at £1 per car, and disabled parking (and toilets) at the church. The proceeds will go to church funds. At Sacred Heart Church Hall in Thirsk Road there is parking in front of the church.