DORSET organic farmer and internationally acclaimed conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, returns to his home county next weekend for Dorset Wildlife Trust's golden jubilee concert with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at Poole's Lighthouse arts centre.

Included in the programme is Shepherd Fennel's Dance, composed by his great uncle Balfour Gardiner and inspired by Dorset writer Thomas Hardy's short story The Three Strangers.

Balfour Gardiner had given up his musical life and devoted himself to farming by the time John Eliot, as a young boy, remembers him visiting the family farm south of Shaftesbury.

The gala concert will be narrated by Sir David Attenborough, a long time supporter of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, whose latest series Frozen Planet is currently gripping television audiences.

The conductor has chosen glorious English music to match the beauty of the Dorset landscape and wildlife that he loves. The programme includes Elgar's Enigma Variations, with its beautiful Nimrod theme, and Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending, for which the soloist will be the remarkable young Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova.

John Eliot, founder of the world-famous Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, is the patron of DWT.

"I'm a Dorset man, born and bred. I grew up surrounded by the North Dorset chalk downs and combes, learned to love their rich fauna and flora, and I have never moved away. In fact I have been farming there (in between concerts) since the 1970s.

"The ghosts of Hardy and Barnes still stalk these hills. Music and musicians are of course central to my life, but so is nature, wildlife, and good husbandry of soil, plants and animals.

"The work of the DWT is to be cherished and applauded – which is why I was eager to accept their invitation to conduct this celebratory concert with the excellent Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. I think we have come up with a gorgeous programme, one that any country lover can enjoy."

Sir David Attenborough, vice-president of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, says: "Since the 25th anniversary of Dorset Wildlife Trust in 1986 there have been immense changes to the Trust and the way in which the environment is perceived. We are very aware of the ever-increasing pressure on our wildlife and I look forward to helping create a better environment for us all in the 21st century."

Tony Bates, chairman of DWT, describes the concert as "an incredible celebration of what has been achieved by people with a passion for the nature of Dorset.

"We fully expect to be joined by a sell-out audience for this grand finale to a very special year."

For more info telephone 01305 264620 or 0844 406 8666 or visit www.dorset wildlifetrust.org.uk