TWENTY SIX bands are expected to take part in the 10th Brighouse Festival of Brass this summer.

Since the first festival was organised in 2000 by Brighouse Lions, this weekend long event has raised a large amount of money for charity.

The festival begins on Friday, July, 3 in the Central Methodist Church in Brighouse, with a concert by last year’s event champions Marsden Silver Prize Band.

Saturday’s events begin with the new Brighouse Youth Solo Championships.

This new youth event will be staged in the Ebenezer Methodist Church at Bailiff Bridge and will include sections for under 11s, under 14s and the under 17s. Malcolm Brownbill will adjudicate.

The gala concert on July 4 will feature Easington Colliery Band in concert at the Central Methodist Church.

The band featured in Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire and since the programme, ‘secret millionaire’ Carl Hopkins, who lives in Brighouse, has become the band’s honorary life president.

The open contest will see 22 bands compete for the festival title and the line-up will include the Hammonds Saltaire Band making its first appearance in the competition. Fred Etherington will compere the contest and the adjudicators will be William Relton and David Hirst.

Sponsors include Kershaw’s Garden Centre, Brighouse, who are supporting the new youth contest and Mr Weyland Roberts, of New Mill who is donating a trophy for the best principal cornet in memory of the late Stuart Broadbent who was a supporter of the festival.