IT IS a concert date which is causing some excitement among members of the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment.

For though the band is based in Huddersfield, it will be playing at Huddersfield Town Hall for the first time this autumn.

Many of the band members are either from the local area or trained at Huddersfield University or Leeds College of Music.

Captain Gary Clegg, the Director of Music and formerly Bandmaster of the Coldstream Guards, said with those connections and the fact that the Town Hall is only a stone’s throw from their own headquarters, the band’s premiere in the famous musical venue is causing some excitement.

One member will have friends in the audience who are coming over from Boston and that’s Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire for the performance.

The band then is delighted to be guesting at the Town Hall on October 20 for New Mill Male Voice Choir in its annual concert.

The Band of the Yorkshire Regiment is busily preparing for its first Town Hall concert.

If you want to get a taste of what the band can do, head for Huddersfield Piazza on Saturday, September 9.

Band members in their scarlet tunics will be playing at 11.30am giving shoppers a sample of what they can expect from these talented musicians on a big concert stage.

One of those musicians is Gary’s wife, Vicky who will be playing a number of solo spots at the New Mill concert.

The band exists primarily to entertain our troops and it has recently been over to Munster in Germany to play for troops before a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The days when military bands led active troops into battle has long gone, but they play a major role in developing regimental pride and keeping spirits high.

Gary said: “Military bands differ from brass in that they have a wider range of wind instruments – including clarinets, flutes, and saxophones, and the colour these instruments bring means that a very wide range of music can be played.

“We plan to go through the spectrum at the October 20 concert and give the audience a night to remember.”

The concert will raise funds for the Regiment Benevolent Trust which supports currently enlisted and former soldiers experiencing hard times, as many do when they leave after completing active service.

Gary said that most fundraising- including by the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment had been focussed on national organisations like Help For Heroes, but that Regimental benevolent funds had been depleted at a time when need is high.

Volunteer soldiers will sell programmes at the concert and will hold a bucket collection. All monies raised will go to the Trust.

Tickets for the Town Hall concert on October 20 are selling well, but are still available from the Kirklees Box Office.