THIS year has been a busy one for the Romney Society with a list as long as your arm of celebratory events focused on the eminent portrait painter's bicentenary.

The finale is a concert on Saturday, November 16 (7.30pm), in Kendal Parish Church featuring two special musical ingredients.

It premieres Song To Romney, written by former chief conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra Eric Wetherell (music) and his wife Elizabeth Major (words) as well as providing the perfect opportunity for a violin made by the great man himself, to be played.

The story goes that before the Dalton-in-Furness born painter found fame with a brush he was an apprentice from 1746-54 with his father - a cabinet-maker.

Romney's friend Richard Cumberland wrote that the young artist disposed of the instruments to "rural amateurs, who were perhaps as little instructed in the use of those instruments as he had been in the formation of them," adding "while he was practising the art of making fiddles, he was studying that of performing them: and having finished one of superior workmanship, he kept it by him as a chef d'oeuvre (masterpiece) to the day of his death."

The honour of the playing the exquisitely carved fiddle next week goes to Magnus Johnston, leader of the Johnston String Quartet, a fine foursome from the respected realms of Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music, which on Romney night performs works by Haydn and Mozart.

Also on the bill, is one of the region's rising stars, soprano Rachel Little, performing a selection of 18th Century songs including the Romney piece, accompanied by the church's director of music, Hugh Davies, on piano.

Looking forward to the parish church event, the very church where Romney married Mary Abbot on October 14, 1756, society chairman Martin Orrom summed up: " This has been a very exciting year, which began with a reception in Kendal Town Hall in January, finishing with a concert for everyone to celebrate George Romney's life."

Tickets costing £7.50 are available from Kendal and Grange tourist information centres, or by calling 015395-67380.