A MUSIC-MAD drummer is set to take part in a star-studded worldwide drumming marathon in a bid to raise money for charity.

Stuart Hardy, from Colchester, is hoping to help raise more than £100,000 as he prepares to take part in this year’s DrumathonLIVE.

Stuart, 60, who runs a recently launched music website, is set to play along side some of the world’s best for five mental health charities.

The charities include Mind, NHS Charities Together, Child Bereavement UK, Anna Freud and UK Trauma Council.

The fundraising is part of this year’s DrumathonLIVE, a global drumming marathon.

The event was started in the first lockdown of 2020 by Errol Kennedy, the drummer with multi-platinum 1980s pop band Imagination, and his partner, singer and artist Bev Sage.

The event sees some of the world’s top drummers from bands and artists like ColdPlay, Radiohead, Culture Club, Duran Duran, The Cure, Tom Jones, Madonna and Kaiser Chiefs join together for a non-stop drumming session.

The event is virtual and sees the drummers pass on their sticks virtually to the next drummer.

The sessions last more than 250 hours, with the first event in 2020 raising more than £45,000 for the NHS.

Now Stuart is hoping to do his bit for the 2021 event in May which has set a new target of £100,000.

Stuart had originally reached out to the organisers in a bid to write about the marathon for his Shufflewire.com website.

But, as a drummer and mental health advocate, Stuart was invited to take part.

He said: “I’m thrilled and flattered to be part of such an amazing event.

“I will be playing for 12 hours starting on Thursday, May 20 at 10pm through to 10am the next morning. It’s a bit daunting, I don’t think I’ve ever played for12 hours before so it will be quite a challenge.”

He added: “For so many people this pandemic has been a challenge to maintaining good mental health and the charities that offer crucial support have found their fundraising much more difficult. I am excited to be able to play a little part in helping to raise vital funds.”

The drumathon is set to kick off on May 15 with continuous streams running for the seven days. For more information, visit www.drumathon.live.