LUCKY patients at Basingstoke hospital whiled away the time listening to a professional music concert performed at their bedsides.

Musician Janet Beale, who plays the piano and accordion, and soprano singer Wendy Stiles, performed an hour-long concert for elderly patients at the hospital.

Among the hit songs, which were mainly from the 1940s, were A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square, Ain't Misbehavin' and Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

Ms Stiles said: "We bring the music to the patients. It's about making music more accessible for them.

"We try to encourage as much contact as possible as well, whether it's eye contact or holding hands, to try and make people feel more involved."

Pat Dominey, a modern matron for the ward, said: "Some people are here for quite a long time and, particularly at the weekend, the time can pass quite slowly. This sort of thing gives the patients something to look forward to and enjoy."

The performance was organised through the charity Music in Hospitals, which aims to bring the joy and therapeutic benefits of music to hospitals.