A MUSIC legend performed a gig in Nailsworth for a special reason. 

Singer-song writer and activist Billy Bragg performed in Nailsworth on a guitar made in a single day by volunteers from the town’s Pi Guitars.

The clock started ticking at 6am on Saturday, February 10 for the Pi Guitar team, fashioning pieces of old furniture, door frames and skip finds into a finished guitar by 6.00pm, just 12 hours later ready for Billy Bragg to play that evening.

Pi Guitars was established in 2021 and is run by not-for-profit community enterprise Practical Intelligence in the extraordinary setting of Nailsworth Community Workshop.

Co-founder Pam Brown said: "The whole day passed all of our expectations.  

"It was a wonderful experience and coming together of the whole community topped off by an amazing performance by Billy who couldn’t have been more supportive of everything we do.

"We would like to thank the committee for letting us use the building, Bear Knuckle for donating the pink ups, the Village Inn for donating a barrel of beer, D and B audio for the PA, Archie the sound Man and all the performers and volunteers. "

Participants build the finest quality guitars using recycled and locally sourced wood, with handmade Bare Knuckle pickups and top class hardware.

The ethos of the project is to teach the craft of guitar building whilst building confidence, self-belief and transferable skills in volunteers who may be struggling with anxiety and their mental health.

The finished guitars are sold to help support Pi Guitars or are sponsored and donated to other musical projects which support mental health and wellbeing.