MUSICIANS from a Burnley school struck up another winning performance at the weekend and returned home from a national competition with three trophies.

Members of Towneley High School Brass Band competed against the country's top ensembles in the Action Research Youth Brass Band Entertainment Championships of Great Britain.

They left the contest, at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, with the Lancastrian Shield for sixth place overall, a special award for percussionist Daniel Hayes and the Tony Russell Memorial Cup for the best bass section.

The Tony Russell cup was extra welcome because the school's bass section has an average age of only 14 and was the only all-female bass section in the competition. The four players who won the award were Charlotte Cardwell, 13, Sara Dalton, 14, and 15-year-olds Zoe Birks and Terri-Marie Hitchon (pictured).

Mr Warren said: "We all know the Spice Girls. Well, we have our very own Bass Girls and they struck a real blow for girl power.

"We can proudly claim to officially have the best youth brass band bass section in Great Britain. When you consider that they will be together for at least the next three years then the sky really is the limit."

The brass band also recently competed in the National Youth Brass Band Championships at Salford University and recorded their best result to date, finishing ninth out of 18.

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