A HEAD brewer and part-time musician is to step out of his comfort zone and play seven pubs in seven days solo to raise money for charity.

Ken Lush, long-time singer and song writer but also head brewer at Uley Brewery, is gearing up for a special solo tour of local pubs this month.

Usually a member of a band, Ken will be going it alone and playing a mix of contemporary folk music with a sprinkle of humour on the guitar, mandola and mandocello.

He will be visiting seven pubs over seven days, starting in Dursley and finishing at his local, The Old Crown in Uley.

Ken, 57, is doing the tour to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity that has special meaning to him.

At the age of five he was saved from drowning in Newquay while on a family holiday.

"I can’t remember a lot but an inflatable RNLI boat picked me up and took me to shore. Ever since I have been scared by deep water."

Ken is no stranger to the music scene having played in various bands since the 70s and running a folk club in Bath.

He is also bass player and frontman for Short Elbow, multi-instrumentalist for LVT (Lush Veale Thomas) and bass player for Bristol band Club of No Regrets.

"I am looking forward to the tour but I haven’t played solo for many, many years, so it will be daunting," he said.

"I’ll be performing a mix of folk songs, some of my own songs, funny pieces and story-led songs. It will certainly be a lot of fun."

Tour dates are as follows: Old Spot, Dursley - 4pm (Sunday, May 22), Tudor Arms, Slimbridge – 9pm (Monday, May 23), Woolpack, Slad – 8pm, (Tuesday, May 24), Ebrington Arms, Chipping Camden – 9pm (Wednesday, May 25), The George, Newmarket, Nailsworth, - 8pm, (Thursday, May 26), Crown & Sceptre, Stroud – 9pm, (Friday, May 27) and the Old Crown, Uley – 4pm (Saturday, May 28).