Bury St Edmunds pitstop for the busker cycling with a piano

A busker who is cycling across the country with an upright piano in tow has taken his foot off the pedals in Suffolk.

James Tofalli, known as the Piano Man, tickled the ivories during a brief stop off in Bury St Edmunds.

The pianist set off from Land’s End in Cornwall on 11 July and has been joined on the 874-mile (1,407 km) cycle to John O’Groats by his faithful cocker spaniel, Jeff.

Tofalli told BBC Radio Suffolk his aim was to bring smiles to people’s faces, raise awareness of mental health and autism, and eradicate barriers to music by campaigning for more pianos to be installed in public spaces.

“People are surprised, shocked and confused at the route I’m taking, but the majority of responses are positive, and that’s the joy of what street music is,” he said.

“I’ve busked in Bury St Edmunds a lot in the past and it is a great place to play – I’ve had a lot of positive experiences, but for me Bury is a big part of this journey.”