JULES Knight has returned to Studland for a summer holiday, like he does every year.

Except this time, he has brought the other Blake members – Oliver Baines, Stephen Bowman and Humphrey Berney – with him.

The founding member of the group drank his first pint in the Bankes Arms in Studland and chuckles with Oliver, 27, about his early drinking sessions at the pub not far from the beach.

When Blake meet up in that very same place, Knoll Beach, to perform some of their hits on a blustery day, what does Jules, 28, remember about holidaying in Purbeck as a child?

He said: “I used to love going to Wareham (Wishing Weemo) Bears as a kid. Do you know Wareham Bears? And I used to go to Corfe Castle.

“I’ve visited Purbeck so much and know it so well, it always feels like a homecoming.”

Stephen, from Bath, visited Sandbanks earlier this year for the National Beach Polo Championships – but Humphrey, 30, from Norfolk and Oliver, 27, from Wiltshire, haven’t visited the area before.

Oliver said: “I loved the castle as we drove past. I said, ‘That looks like Camelot – it must be’.”

But the guys aren’t just here to build sandcastles and sing on the beach.

They’re promoting next Bank Holiday weekend’s classical music festival, Serenata, in Kimmeridge.

They all feel excited about singing at Britain’s first-ever classical festival, in the heart of Jurassic Coast, which is a completely different experience to singing in a theatre in London.

Stephen, 29, a bass baritone, said: “It takes away all the formality of having to sit down and watch us.

“If you want to dance all night, and people do, then you can.”

He added: “The artists are going to be relaxed, and mixing with everyone when they wander around.

“And if people want to come and talk to us and have their picture taken, they’re welcome to.”

Humphrey agreed: “We live in a world where it’s stressful. So to come to the countryside, to a beautiful part of the world, is great.

“It’s a bit of an adventure.”

They are still down to earth, and haven’t let their success (including winning Album of the Year at the Classical Brit Awards in 2008 for their debut self-titled album) go to their heads.

Blake started in September 2007, after a chance meeting at a house party, and kept in contact through Facebook. Back then, Humphrey, a tenor, wasn’t in the group, but joined in 2009 when his predecessor, Dominic Tighe, left.

In March this year, they released their latest album, Together.

The group have also proved a hit in Japan and Australia, and have sold nearly half a million records.

Unlike other groups there is no visible leader that shines above the others. They each take their turn in the spotlight. They promote classical music to children by visiting more than 70 schools in the UK to give the pupils an opportunity to listen to the music.

Oliver said that even David Cameron has touched upon bringing more classical music to schools, which, naturally, they agree with.

Jules, a baritone, said: “We wanted children to know that if they want to sing in a choir, that’s okay.

“The festival is now something to aim for.”

He added: “We live in an iPod generation where people will shuffle different types of music.”

Oliver, also a tenor, said: “All festivals are eclectic, so you don’t have to listen to one person or type of music. You get to choose.”

He added: “I think classical music is as popular as it has ever been.

“But if any music comes into the public domain and is played enough, it becomes popular.”

They speak fondly of some of their co-stars, describing Katherine Jenkins as “like a sister” after touring with her – and Faryl Smith is like their “younger sister”. What a fantastic musical family!

So how will the boys feel when the heavens open as our chat finishes and they ready themselves to perform?

Ever the professionals, they patiently wait, sipping cups of coffee, as the crew move the speakers, microphones and sound gear inside, into the Knoll Beach visitor centre.

Perhaps it wasn’t quite as they’d hoped for, but the Dorset public gathered to see them came well prepared for the weather with brollies and jackets.

With the crowd packed into the building, mumbles about the weather stopped as soon as the first pitch-perfect note heralded Blake’s rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.

After a couple of false starts, when the wrong backing track played out, the guys joked with the audience about how those songs were “what you’ll hear if you come to Serenata.”

They carried on their set with Bring Him Home from Les Miserables and then Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, among others. The audience stayed captivated.

• Blake will be appearing with Katherine Jenkins, Russell Watson and Faryl Smith at Serenata, Kimmeridge, from August 26 to 28. For more information, go to serenatafestival.com