A TEST Valley abbey welcomed a pianist and her hearing dog for a lunchtime recital.

Helen Farrar, from Sheffield, has lost 75 percent of her hearing and played the recital at Romsey Abbey, Church Lane, with the help of her pooch Teddy.

In 2011 Helen was injured in a car crash where she suffered major injuries, halting her career which involved her travelling the world with many orchestras and making guest recitals at venues, such as the Royal Albert Hall.

Now Helen is making her comeback with Teddy who has been trained to alert her to important sounds, such as alarms and telephones.

The Romsey audience enjoyed a programme of music by Chopin, Liszt, Balakirev and Rachmaninoff, including descriptions of the composers.

The Abbey’s lunchtime recitals are held on two or three Tuesdays a month at 1pm between January and November.

Admission is free, with a retiring collection which supports the Abbey’s choirs.

Full details of upcoming recitals can be found at romseyabbey.org.uk/visit/concerts.