GRASSINGTON Festival will showcase a very different type of rock music - highlighting the amazing geology found in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Bradford-based Purple Patch Arts, a group of adults who have learning disabilities, have been working with artists and musicians to produce artwork and compose six tunes based on different aspects of the story of limestone.

And composer Tom Lydon has taken the tunes and created an orchestral piece that will be played by Skipton Building Society Camerata on a lithophone – which has made by Quarry Arts in Ingleton using local quarried limestone and can be played in the same way as a xylophone or glockenspiel.

The project, called Song of the Sea that Was, has been made possible thanks to a £14,950 grant from the Arts Council and is being run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA).

Catherine Kemp, the authority’s learning and engagement officer, said: “The project is based at the Malham National Park Centre and its name reflects the fact that the rocks were formed when the area was under seawater millions of years ago.

“Limestone has shaped the landscape, flora and fauna and the way people have farmed and worked in the Dales over thousands of years. The story of the local geology is a story of changing landscapes, warm seas, strange creatures and the earth’s upheavals over millennia and yet, exciting though the story is, it is hard to tell it in a truly accessible way.

“This project will change that – we will use the music of singing rock from local quarries to bring the tale to new ears in an innovative and exciting way.”

The premiere of the orchestral piece will be played in the festival marquee on Monday, June 22.

Festival Director Kate Beard said: “We are incredibly excited about supporting this project with Purple Patch and the YDNPA, as it offers children the chance to experience the wonder of classical music in a fun and inspirational way. "Using the music of singing rock from local quarries is also an innovative and exciting way of bringing the story of our local geology to young ears.”

The festival hopes to fund this unique concert by using crowd funding - where supporters pledge money in return for "money can’t buy" rewards, such as a percussion lesson with a member of the Camerata and a signed copy of the score.

To pledge support, visit crowdfunder.co.uk/the-lithophone-project.

The premiere concert will also include also Mozart’s Toy Symphony and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and tickets cost £8 for an adult, £5 for under 16s. They can be bought from grassington-festival.org.uk or 01756 752691 or in person from Box Office, Grassington Festival, Grassington Hub, Garrs Lane, Grassington.