MORE than 50 brass bands from across the North West travelled to Blackburn to blow their own trumpets at a prestigious competition.

The 52nd Annual Championships of the North West Area Brass Bands Association was held at King George's Hall for the second year running and welcomed groups from Kirby Lonsdale and Haydock as well as Blackburn with Darwen, Haslingden and Helmshore and Todmorden.

Chairman of the association and organiser of the event Frank Hodges said: "King George's Hall is a magnificent venue for the championships because it enables us to run different sections in different halls and the acoustics are very good."

The event was judged from behind a screen by Ray Roe who looked closely at each band as they performed a test piece of between 10 and 15 minutes long.

Mr Hodges went on: "This event shows that the brass bands in the North West are of a very high standard and that amateur musicians take it very seriously. There are 147 bands associated to us and more than 540 in the country and to their members it is a way of life.

"They will spend hours practising both together and alone as they strive for perfection and a competition like this allows them to show exactly what they can do. This is serious music and a serious event but it possibly the only "hobby" where five and six-year-old children can join their grandparents on stage.

"It's great."

Overall winners in the championship were Todmorden Old Band, with Blackburn and Darwen fifth. The second, third and fourth places went to Eagley, Lostock Hall Memorial and Pilling Jubilee Silver with Rochdale Borough Youth scooping top honours in the youth section.

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