THE Swindon music scene is getting ready to rock and get charity cash rolling in at the same time.

More than 30 bands from the town have signed up for this year's Swindon Shuffle, which takes place in July.

And all of the money raised during the course of the weekend will go to the Prospect Hospice.

The event takes place from Friday, July 20 to Sunday, July 22 and will see 33 acts from all over Swindon performing at five of the town's top music venues.

The Swindon Shuffle is the brainchild of musicians, promoters and DJs Richard Craven, Phil Dyson, Paul Jellings, Neil Gammon and Tim McDonald - who between them run Songs Of Praise, Black Lava promotions and YankeeBoy promotions.

They decided that they wanted to celebrate the thriving Swindon music scene while doing their bit for a good cause.

Drawing inspiration from established events like the Camden Crawl, The Great Escape and Oxford Punt, The Shuffle will be using local music venues in the town to host the event.

"The music scene in Swindon is the best I have ever known it and we wanted to put on a festival for the people of Swindon showcasing the depth of musical talent in the town," said co-creator Richard.

"The idea started as a shuffle' between several music venues on one particular night to see a number of local acts and has now turned into a weekend long music festival raising money for a local charity that does some incredible work."

Among the names lined up to take part in the weekend of music are Gaz Brookfield, The She Beats, From The Carnival Of Horrors, Seven Years On and Jon Trowbridge.

They will be playing at The Victoria, 12 Bar, The Rolleston, The Furnace and The Beehive.

Local record label 4th Street Music are also producing a compilation CD featuring some of the acts who will be performing at the Shuffle before the event.

All proceeds will go to the hospice.

Headline acts include Buswell, Hip Route, Sturgis Armory, Black Eyed Dog and Electric City Heights.

Tickets cost £3 and go on sale on Monday, May 21 and are available from The Victoria, Victoria Road. There will be a limited number of weekend tickets, which allow entry to all venues and the Post-Shuffle party on August 2, priced at £7.

For more information log on to www.myspace.com/swindonshuffle or email swindon shuffle@hotmail.co.uk