A BOYS' Brigade band in Hyndburn has been thrown a lifeline after being turned down for a lottery grant.

The Accrington Boys Brigade applied for £5,000 from the Golden Jubilee awards to buy new instruments but the bid was rejected because it did not fit the criteria.

Now Accrington and Rishton Area Councils are to step in with grants of £1,500 and £500 respectively.

A letter from the Awards for All said: "Your application was unsuccessful because Awards for All seeks to involve people in their local community, funding projects that support community activity, extend access and participation, and increase skill and creativity or improve the quality of life."

But bandmaster Geoff Smale said he was perplexed by the decision.

"We wonder what we have to do to qualify. We have been training youngsters to play musical instruments since 1957.

"We go round and play in the community, at carnivals and Armistice Day and every Christmas we give a performance at six homes for the elderly.

"What do we have to do to be a 'community group'? We just about scrape through every year.

"We have done our bit and it's about time that somewhere along the way we got something back."

Mr Smale said it was not the first time the group had been turned down for national grant.

An application to the Silver Jubilee awards in 1977 was rejected, as were two previous bids for Princes Trust cash.

Coun Bernard Pritchard, chairman of Accrington Area Council, said: "They work hard for the community and for Hyndburn Borough Council.

"They do a very fine job and we as a council are willing to help them all we can now and in the future."

June Butler, chairman of Rishton Area Council, said: "We felt it was a shame they missed out on this fund and I wanted to help because Geoff and a few of the boys live in Rishton, though it's under the umbrella of Accrington."

The 16 members of Accrington Boys' Brigade meet every Monday at Cannon Street Baptist Church, Accrington.