A Rossendale band are holding a spring concert later this month to raise money for a life-saving defibrillator outside a local church.

Water Village Band will hold their Spring Concert at Lumb Baptist Church on Saturday, May 18, alongside a pub quiz during the interval.

Minister at Lumb Baptist Church, the Reverend Steve Ansell, said: "We have always had a close association with Water Band.

"In fact, they play at our Remembrance Sunday service in November each year, and so we’re delighted to host the band concert and use it to raise money for a defibrillator to be placed outside the church.

"The evening promises wonderful music, as well as a short pub-style quiz and refreshments; it should be great fun and a real village event."

The concert is also a thank you to the church for its help to the band in the past three years.

Band chair, Tim Nuttall, said: “During the COVID-19 lockdowns the band weren’t able to use the band room for practices because we didn’t have space to keep players the regulation distance apart, but Lumb Baptist Church offered their space for our Wednesday practice sessions.

“Then, just as we were emerging from COVID restrictions, we closed the band room for a full-scale renovation project and again the church came to our rescue offering both practice space and room to store our instruments to keep them clean and safe during building work.

"As a thank you we promised to play a concert in the church and the defibrillator fundraiser seemed the ideal opportunity."

Conductor and musical director Mike Rourke explained the concert would be based on a musical journey.

He said: ”We’ll be setting off from Lumb and Water villages via Manchester and travelling to Norway and Cuba, with some fun on the high seas as well, before ending up back in Rossendale with our final piece.

“When we practised in the church during COVID I realised what a fabulous space it is with a great acoustic for the band, and I can’t wait to provide a full concert in there and see if we can entertain as well as the band did in 1922."

The concert starts at 6.30pm on Saturday, May 18, at Lumb Baptist Church in Burnley Road East, with an entrance price of £5 for adults, but children will be admitted free.