POPULAR Afro Jazz band Hélélé will be treating Thornbury to a night of world music on to raise funds for a health centre and school in Cameroon.

The five-piece band from Bristol will be performing at the Armstong Hall on Friday, May 1 - a few weeks before joining South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela at the Bath Fringe Festival.

Hélélé is led by Cameroon-born Alphonse Touna - who sings and plays the balafon (African marimba), which he made himself, as well as the guitar, djembe drum and percussion.

He set up the band “to share his music and culture with the world” - and his songs take their influence from the Bantu Forests of equatorial Africa.

The haunting lyrics are sung in Alphonse’s own language (Bassa) and the rhythms - a unique blend of catchy Afrobeat, jazz, Latin and funk - have packed dance floors across the UK.

Alphonse explains: “Hélélé means ‘beyond celebration’ and I want audiences to leave the concerts feeling uplifted, enthusiastic and full of life.”

This infectious music has resulted in the band going from strength to strength attracting fans of all ages and headlining at major festivals including Glastonbury (Jazz tent), Cheltenham Music Festival and Marlborough Jazz festival.

Hélélé has also performed at a string of key venues from London’s South Bank Centre to Bristol’s Colston Hall – where the band supported Cuban singer and guitarist Eliades Ochoa from the Buena Vista Social Club.

Alphonse started Project Mahola two years ago to build a much-needed health centre and school near the village of Sillyegue, where he grew up. The region is isolated, with no proper roads, running water or electricity and without access to medical facilities.

He explains: “Women have to give birth at home under difficult and unsafe conditions and the population is struggling with malaria and dysentery. People from the village have not survived simply because it took too long to transport them to the nearest hospital - and few can afford the cost of healthcare.

“With no secondary school in the region, most children are unable to continue their education after primary age… We want to support them into further education and training so they can go on to improve conditions for themselves and their country.”

Project Mahola now has a team of seven local people and is linking with the Salvatorians, a religious order with two missions in Cameroon. The project is also providing school bursaries for children from the region and training for future doctors, nurses and midwives.

Thornbury artist and former teacher, Anne McAllister, joined Mahola year ago to help with the fundraising.

She said: “I’ve been to Cameroon and seen for myself there’s a real need for decent health centres and schools and a lack of basic medical equipment and education supplies.

“It’s great that a band of this calibre is coming to Thornbury and I’m sure people in the town will give their support to this exciting project.”

Doors will open at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at Thornbury Garden Shop or call 01454 416 906.