A UNIQUE memorial concert is being held in honour of two climbers from Bradford who were killed on Ben Nevis.

Tim Newton, 27, and Rachel Slater, 24, died after being caught in an avalanche on Britain’s highest peak, in the Scottish Highlands, on Valentine’s Day 2016.

To celebrate the lives of the couple, an event titled ‘An April Folly’ is being held on Saturday, April 1, in which a team of climbers will carry a grand piano to the top of a prominent hill for an open-air memorial concert.

The piano is being carried up to the Claife Heights Viewing Station on the shores of Windermere in the Lake District.

It has been organised by musician Robert Richmond, whose son, Michael Richmond, is a keen climber and was a friend of the couple.

He had originally planned a sponsored walk to raise money for the Lochaber Mountain Rescue, who spent weeks searching for the couple’s bodies, before his father came up with the idea of an open-air concert.

Mr Richmond said: “It’s perfect. With the mountains and the lake as a backdrop and the ruins of Claife as a performance space, it promises to be an inspirational experience.”

The piano will be carried to the summit by Michael Richmond and colleagues from the climbing community.

On hearing news of the planned concert, Nigel and Rosemary Slater, the parents of Rachel, sent an e-mail to Michael.

It said: “We miss Rachel and Tim with every breath we take.

“The sadness and grief will never leave us for the rest of our lives.”

They gave the concert their full backing, describing it as “a wonderful idea and a beautiful way to honour Rachel and Tim”.

The piano will arrive by ferry at 11am, before being carried on a specially designed frame up 270 metres to the viewing station.

The first performance will begin at 2pm. As well as enjoying the music, visitors will be able to explore the surroundings and take in the spectacular views of the Lake District.

Some of the pieces which will be performed include pieces by Debussy and Holst, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Mr Richmond’s own arrangements of pieces by Ravel and Shostakovitch.

Toilets and refreshments will be available in the National Trust cafe which is based at the entrance to Claife Heights.

Members of Coniston Mountain Rescue will be collecting money on the day, which will then be shared between themselves and their Scottish counterparts who led the 38-day search on Ben Nevis for Rachel and Tim.

People can also donate online by visiting the project’s Virgin Money Giving page at bit.ly/2n3lOw0.