A LIVE music event in aid of Thornwell Primary School will be held at the White Lion/Smirnoff Bar in Chepstow on July 22, with local bands The Scary Door and Iridium already included in the line-up.

ThornAid has been organised by 17-year-old Matt Barnes, who is a former pupil of Thornwell Primary School as well as being the lead guitarist of The Scary Door; along with his bandmates and the licensee of the White Lion, Alison Beasley.

The event will be free to enter, but the aim of the night is to raise at least the target amount of £1,000 for the primary school, which was recently the subject of a suspected arson attack that left the entire Nursery and Infants’ building destroyed by fire.

Matt explained why he was so keen to organise ThornAid.

He said: “As a former pupil of the school myself, I was really upset by what had happened and really wanted to do something to help the school get back on its feet.

“The school did a lot for me when it comes to music.

“They are really good at supporting and encouraging musical interest, and quite a lot of my friends who went to the school have continued singing, and playing instruments.

“We are really hoping ThornAid will be a big success on the night, and that we can raise as much money as we can for the school.”

Five-piece band, The Scary Door, was formed in 2009 by Matt and his friends who were all Year 10 pupils at Chepstow Comprehensive School Earlier this year, they won the Chepstow Battle Of The Bands, gaining them a session in ‘Blueline Studios’ in Undy where they recorded their first EP.

Other bands already confirmed for the event include Iridium, and Bulwark-based band, Riot Act.

More details will follow shortly.