A young pianist played his first recital in front of a large audience at Christchurch in Ilkley to raise hundreds of pounds for two fundraising appeals Seven-year-old Callum Whitton, a pupil at Ashlands Primary School, managed to raise almost £450 for two Christchurch appeals, the church roof repairs and solar panels fund and Dan’s Den soft play area project.

Callum planned the whole event himself, from originally devising the concept, to designing the flyers, as well as planning his set list of music pieces and selling tickets.

More than 60 people attended the event and Callum displayed his marvellous musical versatility by playing a wide range of music styles on the grand piano from classical through to contemporary and pop.

He chose to play 12 short classical pieces, followed by four upbeat boogie woogie numbers as well as music from the soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The grand finale was two back-to-back One Direction songs which earned him a standing ovation and a bouquet of flowers, as he impressed everyone with his natural ability which is way beyond his young years.

His mother, Margaret, said at the end of the evening: “I am so proud of Callum, not just of his musical talent, but because he so unassumingly wished to share his love of music with others, all for a very good cause. Everyone had smiles on their faces as they left.”