"Our Town, Our Church!": Leyland Band helps celebrate St Andrew's anniversary

The original date fell inside the lockdown period and the concert had to be cancelled. However, a determined number of the congregation have helped re-organise the event to mark 800 years of Christian ministry to the town and surroundings.

The band have been putting on concerts at the church for a number of years and the programmes have been developed from the wide base of music available to brass bands ranging from marches, movie music, pop and classical. In fact, Leyland Band appreciate the acoustics of the church so much they have used it to record CD's

On this occassion, however, the bulk of the programme is designed to match the purpose of the building and the anniversary, being mainly devotional work chosen by parishioners from both St Andrew's and the nearby Roman Catholic, St Mary's. Also included are two pieces which reflect the Town's recent history in the production of commercial vehicles and the band's own part in promoting the names of Leyland Motors and the town across the globe, in a programme which the organisers have entitled "Our Town, Our Church!"

The concert's content does not limit the range of styles and genre to merely hymns, and includes a wide variety of pieces spanning the last 300 years of composition. Hymns and marches will be interlaced with classical and modern pieces with four outstanding soloist playing extremely evocative works both familiar and modern.

There will be a standard charge of £10 on the evening, payable at the door, with the usual light refreshments included.

Leyland Band will return to the church the following weekend when they again show their commitment to their home town and provide the music for the annual Remberance Sunday Parade, which starts at the Civic Centre at 10:30 and marches to the Cenotaph opposite St Andrew's.