A LOCAL music teacher has been in the USA, competing in an international brass band festival.

Gareth Daniel, a newly qualified teacher, got back into training for a knockout trip to Philadelphia.

He has been granted a sabbatical from his new position of music teacher at Hesketh Fletcher CE High School, Atherton. He left England last weekend to take part in an international festival representing Great Britain as a member of the world famous Black Dyke brass band from Queensbury, Yorkshire. The band has been playing since 1855 and regularly takes part in this bi-annual event.

Children and adults took part in master classes during the festival in Philadelphia before it moved on to Bermuda for a repeat performance.

Mr Daniel is not the only recent addition to the Hesketh Fletcher music department, there has also been £10,000 worth of brass instruments, funded by the Whoosh project, for the use of all pupils in school. Atherton St George's Junior School also have the opportunity to use the instruments.