Members of a brass band braved the weather to play carols at the top of Pendle Hill.

Blackburn and Darwen Brass Band climbed the 557 metre high hill on Saturday to treat other climbers to Christmas carols as part of their ‘Big Tuba’ appeal.

The Pendle Hill event, which hoped to raise £50, raised £800 with five players and three supporters carrying their instruments up the hill to perform favourites including ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Good King Wenceslas’, and a very fitting ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.

They were joined at the top by about 15 walkers who were treated to an unexpected concert.

Euphonium player Jan Walukiewicz said: “We were trying as hard as possible to raise as much money as possible and we were all trying to think of ways to raise money and I thought, what about something different?

“We can climb the hill, raise some money and play some carols at the top.”

Before making their way up the hill, the group, made up of two cornet players, a trombone player, a euphonium player and a tuba player, performed at The Cabin in Barley car park and then went on to perform at the Pendle Inn when they got back down to group level.

The group climbed the hill with their instruments on their back, with the larger euphonium and tuba instruments adding a huge weight for the climbers.

Jan added: “It was a tough one of course with the euphonium and Richard on the tuba which is the tuba we would like to replace.

“He was the one suffering the most as that is probably 13kg or 14kg of instrument.”

The brass band are holding a number of other fundraisers as part of their appeal to raise £14,000.