BBC Proms coming to west of England for first time

Conductor Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will perform on Sunday

Classical music festival, the BBC Proms, is taking up residency in a new city over the bank holiday weekend.

The Proms, best known for concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, will be based at the Bristol Beacon from Saturday until Monday.

It is the first time a full-scale Proms has taken place in the west or south west of England.

Six concerts will be held at the newly-renovated Beacon, which recently underwent renovation works costing more than £130m.

Bristol Beacon chief executive Simon Wales said it would be a "varied and inclusive programme"

The chief executive of Bristol Beacon, Simon Wales, has had a busy week in the run-up to the event, having only starting his role a few days ago.

"Everyone knows the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, but we've been working with the BBC for a very long time to make sure Bristol would be one of the biggest residencies," he said.

"We've got a really accessible and very varied programme, working with the Paraorchestra, the BBC singers, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra with conductor Kirill Karabits, and finally on Monday the CBeebies Proms.

"It's a really varied and inclusive programme that will hopefully be welcoming to our audiences," added Mr Wales.

Paraorchestra will perform at the Bristol Beacon on Saturday

Bristol-based Paraorchestra will make its debut at the Proms on Saturday.

The group, which performs around the world, is made up of both disabled and non-disabled musicians, and aims to make orchestral music accessible to all.

Paraorchestra chief executive, Jonathan Harper, told BBC Radio Bristol: "We're so grateful we have one of the best concert halls in the world to perform in, and acoustically it's the best concert hall in the country.

"For Paraorchestra, it's thrilling to be part of it."