GUITARS On The Beach will go ahead this year after organisers refused to let the charity fundraiser "fade away" and have saved the event.

In February, organiser Geoff Baker said the event would not go ahead unless a "miracle" funding effort came together.

But now Mr Baker has announced that "we're going to do it anyway" and will team up with Mark Hix's Food Rocks Festival.

Guitars On The Beach aims to create the UK's biggest band, all playing the same song on the beach at Lyme Regis - with proceeds given to charity.

Mr Baker had asked for funding from Lyme Regis Town Council, but his application was rejected on principle that the authority does not fund events which give away money to charity - labelled as "petty rules" by Mr Baker.

Following the council’s decision, he and co-founders David Austin, Andy Cable and Brian Street have been quietly working behind the scenes with Mark Hix to save the show.

Mr Baker said: “We have a plan for how the whole of Lyme can help us raise the money for the show that is one of the town’s best weekends of the year.

“We can’t release any details yet as talks are still going on, but we’re completely confident that Guitars On The Beach will go on, with a little help from our friends.

“Great local bands are coming forward wanting to play, the overwhelming reaction of Britain’s biggest band is that they want to play, so we’re going to do it anyway.

“We started this show four years ago after a lovely Lyme musician friend of ours, the late Gordon ‘Nomad’ Smith, suggested that we all played Rave On."

In the first year, more than 2,000 people from all over Britain turned up to play Rave On, on Buddy Holly’s birthday.

The following year, Deep Purple's Ian Gillan led 3,000 guitarists in playing Smoke On The Water.

In the past, Guitars On The Beach has donated thousands of pounds to local cancer charities, the Lyme Regis play park, the Lyme Regis skate park, the town Christmas lights and other good causes.

Mr Baker added: “You can’t let great days like that just fade away.

"Guitars On The Beach is a Lyme institution. With Food Rocks, it brings money to the town, it brings joy to the town and a lot of locals love it. Whatever the council thinks, you can’t let a good gig die.

“So that we don’t upset the council, we shan’t be giving profits to local causes – we’re going to donate what we make to cancer charities as we figure that is an issue that is more important than petty rules right now".

Guitars On The Beach and Mark Hix's Food Rocks Festival will take place on September 3 and 4.