Lofthouse Brass Band is going for gold

A Wakefield brass band will be blowing its own trumpet if it scoops victory at the National Brass Band Championships this weekend.

Lofthouse Brass Band will travel to Cheltenham on Saturday in a bid to take the title - a feat the band last achieved nearly a decade ago.

The band will battle it out with other brass bands from across Britain in the Fourth Section of the contest.

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Band conductor Andrew Whitaker said the team was ready to do battle after weeks of gruelling rehearsals.

He said: “We are looking forward to it. The band will go out there and pull out all the stops to bring the trophy back home and that’s what we are hoping to do.

“We have been rehearsing hard for more than a month so by the time of the contest we’ll be ready to go.”

The band secured its place in the finals in March at Bradford’s St George’s Hall.

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Success could earn Lofthouse promotion to the third section for future brass band competitions.

The musicians will perform a test piece entitled Music From Kantara by Kenneth Downie. Every band taking part in the competition has to perform the same piece of music, with judges marking each one before announcing a winner.

Mr Whitaker, who has been the band’s conductor for 17 years, added: “This is the first time we have reached the national finals since the Harrogate finals in 2008.”

The band rehearses at Outwood and District Working Men’s Club on Ledger Lane on Thursday and Saturday mornings.

Anyone who is interested in playing an instrument or listening to the band is invited to go along.

Visit www.lofthousebrassband for more information.