TWO youngsters brought music to the air when they took their talents to the streets to raise money for charity.

Oliver Bailey and Max Blaff-Laker, both 13, raised almost £400 for the Weldmar Hospicecare Trust in a seven-day music marathon on the streets of Dorchester .

Oliver played the clarinet and Max took his keyboard to encourage the public to donate to the charity as part of their Go for Gold campaign.

The fundraising drive is backed by the Dorset Echo, and has seen kind-hearted readers challenge themselves to help people across the county who suffer from long-term diseases.

Oliver’s mum Debbie Brewer, from Dorchester, said: “They organised it themselves, I’m very proud of my son.

“Oliver decided he wanted to busk, as he plays the clarinet and it’s a step up from school concerts.

“He roped in his friend Max, who turned up with a keyboard, and I thought there was no way they would be able to persuade anyone to let them plug it in.”

But the Toni and Guy and FatFace stores in the town came forward following a request from the Dorchester Middle School pupils, who went on to play for two-and-a-half hours for seven days out of eight.

Ms Brewer said: “It was quite intense, but really gave them a confidence boost.

“I expected them to come back with some change and a couple of coat buttons, but they were amazing, and raised £398.

“They want to take their fundraising to Weymouth next, and would really like to hear from any businesses who will let them plug the keyboard in.”

Oliver has a special reason for choosing to fundraise for Weldmar, as his grandfather died in the charity’s Joseph Weld hospice two years ago.

His mum said: “We have tried to do a lot as a family since then, to help the charity out. His granddad, my dad, would have been enormously proud of him.”

She added: “Most people in Dorchester now know someone who has had contact with the hospice for sad reasons, so they are very generous.”

Oliver said: “It has been great so far, and we both had fun. We would like to say thank you to everyone who supported us.”

If you can help the pupils by offering somewhere to plug in their keyboard, contact Matt Smith on 01305 261800.