Watch: The Big Busk 2016 fills Shrewsbury's streets with the sound of music
From choirs to morris dancers to drummers to rappers, Shrewsbury's streets were filled with musicians today as The Big Busk 2016 took over the town centre.
Hundreds of musicians braved the early wet weather to take part in the day-long festival and raise money for the Shrewsbury Ark.
Music could be heard inside and outside throughout town centre streets, before the busk continued in pubs long into the evening.
The theme of this year's Big Busk was 'The Future of Music' and free 'have a go' workshops also proved popular with children at Central in Claremont Street.
And it wasn't just the workshops where youngsters were to be found.
MORE: The Big Busk 2016 IN PICTURES
Teenage duo Louis Briggs and Tom Barras of Guitar Cubed kicked off the busking bonanza on Friday with the start of 25 hours of non-stop playing in Shrewsbury's Square.
And not to be outdone, the Saturday morning finale of the boy's incredible feat was closely followed by the culmination of singer-songwriter Paul Henshaw's exhausting 24 gigs in 24 hours.
Away from the marathon music-makers, acts included taiko drummers, acoustic guitarists, choirs (male and female), a ukelele group, morris dancers and all sorts in between.
And, with the sun finally creeping into the sky, the diverse acts delighted the afternoon crowds when they joined together to form a giant eclectic ensemble and perform 'The Big Sing'.
The final Big Sing song even had the whole of pride hill singing along to The Jungle Book.
First held in 2013, the Big Busk takes place every year in memory of musician, poet and artist Guy Benson Bebbington, known as Ben, who died from head injuries after being attacked on a footpath in Ditherington in September 2012.
The event now has a wide range of supporters, with one of the town centre stages hosted by BBC Radio Shropshire Introducing.
All of the money raised goes to the Shrewsbury Ark, a drop-in centre for homeless and vulnerable people where Mr Bebbington was a regular visitor.
Last year the event raised £6,100, and with Guitar Cubed raising more than £1,200 alone organisers can be optimistic of topping that total.
If you were at The Big Busk tweet us @ShropshireStar and use the hashtag #TheBigBusk.
For full coverage and pictures see Monday's Shropshire Star, for more information see The Big Busk website here and for about the Shrewsbury Ark see their website here.
