A MUSICAL patchwork of sounds, songs and stories will portray community life on an Oxford estate.

Residents are being invited to take part in rehearsals, starting tonight, for a performance called the Littlemore Oratorio.

The event is the culmination of three years of work led by Malcolm Atkins, the musician in residence at St Mary and St Nicholas Church in Littlemore.

He has written music inspired by the area and its history, and recorded the hopes, dreams and memories of members of the community.

Mr Atkins, who lives on the edge of Littlemore, said: "In creating a [musical] tapestry reflecting our shared identity, we plan to weave together a piece of music reflecting different threads of music in the community.

"The finished piece will be an oratorio for the people of Littlemore, as it will reflect the story of the lives of ordinary people along with their hopes and aspirations.

"It will reflect the diversity of the area and will make a vibrant tapestry of Littlemore past, present and future."

The main oratorio will be performed at the church on Sunday, June 24 at 3pm, with live singing from Littlemore residents peppered with pre-recorded sounds and spoken words.

There will also be dancers and artwork to create a more visual experience for the audience.

It will be performed again at St Mary and St John Church in East Oxford on Sunday, July 1, as part of Cowley Carnival.

Mr Atkins invited residents in Littlemore to join him for the first song rehearsal at St Mary and St Nicholas at 7pm today, and stressed the original songs are very simple to pick up.

There will be further rehearsals at the same time and location on June 14 and 21.

Father-of-three Mr Atkins, 61, works with the church's over-60s lunch club and consulted them on which song they would like to see performed.

I Do Like To be Beside the Seaside was chosen by popular vote.

Another song joining the original scores will be Vera Lynn's Lili Marlene, as chosen by 90-year-old Littlemore resident Don Sheppard.

Explaining his choice in a voice recording, which will make up part of the final piece, he said it reminded him of his training for the RAF in 1946.

He said: "The chefs at the sergeants' mess were German.

"We used to play snooker and they used to sing this in German, and teach us the English words - mostly just the first verse, but it's always stuck in my mind."

Mr Atkins, who is also an associate lecturer at the Open University and founder of Oxford music group Confluence Collective, said music is 'incredibly powerful' in evoking memories and bringing people together.

He encouraged people to get involved in the oratorio, which will raise money for the church, by contacting malcolm.atkins1@ntlworld.com or 01865 721564.