Watch: Lincolnshire drummer completes a 12-hour 'drumathon' for charity

A drummer from Friskney has raised thousands for a cancer charity by playing the drums for 12 hours straight.​​

Ben Smith, 35, set himself the ‘drumathon’ challenge on Saturday at Into Music drum store in Thornton, Horncastle. And with support from lots of people who came to play with him, or simply to cheer him on, he has managed to raise £3,840 for Blood Cancer UK.

The dad-of-two chose the charity as his father, Paul Smith, of Wainfleet, sadly passed away last year after being affected by the illness.

"Dad was always so fond of my drumming and supportive, so this felt like the apt and right thing to do,” said Ben.

Speaking about the drumathon, he added: “It was amazing and I still can’t believe it how much we raised. I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort really.

"I had loads of support, the shop was packed to the rafters. People of all ages and experiences came along and played with me.”

Natal, the manufacturer of Ben’s drums, provided a second drum kit so people could visit and jam with him.

"It truly kept me going through the day which subsequently made the 12 hours fly by,” he adds.

“I had two breaks for about 15 mins in total so pretty much played the full 12 hours.”

Ben’s grunge rock band Scarlet Joy joined him for the final two hours of his challenge to play.

Having only recently got back into playing drums, Ben was previously on a five-year break due to finding a blood clot in his arm – believed to have been caused by drumming. He has since recovered.