ON Sunday (April 18) 26 young players from the Lydbrook Youth Band will set off for Manchester to compete in the Co-op-sponsored National Youth Brass Band Championships.

Held at the Royal Northern College of Music, it is the premier youth brass band event in the country and has attracted an entry of 41 bands from all corners of the UK.

The Lydrook band will compete in the Intermediate Section for players 18 years of age and under and this section has an entry of 15 bands.

Conductor Robert Morgan said: "This is a huge step up in standard for our youth and training band members, some of whom have only been playing for a few months.

"However, we have been very successful just recently gaining a second prize at the Gwent Youth Band Festival and a first prize at our own Gloucestershire Association Contest. I am sure that our young people will perform very well and do themselves proud.

"Some of the bands that we will compete against have 40 or 50 members and come from the heartlands of banding in Lancashire and Yorkshire, but I know it will be a great experience for our young members.

"The band will play a 20 minute programme that includes a set piece of music 'Adventures in Brass' composed by Ray Farr.

"Training and encouraging young people has always been a priority of Lydbrook Band and we are proud of our continuing relationship with Lydbrook Primary School where the band sponsors free brass lessons at the school."