A BRASS band is celebrating its 150th birthday this year, but is desperately appealing for new members.

Nelson Brass Band is currently a few members short of its full compliment of 25 members, and wants to see new people join the group in its Sesquicentennial year.

The group, which is the only competition band in Pendle, have a generational gap, with young and old members, but not many in between.

The band’s finest hour came in 1939, when they finished second in the British Open Championship.

Agnes Stringfellow, band co-ordinator, said: “We do have a bit of a generational gap. The playing and learning of instruments in schools is coming back in a bit so we do have some younger members.

“But at the moment we are a few people short, we are having to pull people out of retirement which isn’t ideal.”

The band have members for teenagers up to 80 years of age, and are looking at starting a junior section to give the performers of tomorrow an early chance.

The history of Nelson Brass has been linked to that of the town and especially the textile industry.

In the latter part of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, Nelson was a booming new town built on cotton and the band mirrored the boom, and it was regarded as one of the best brass bands in the country, winning many national titles.

They were hit hard with the rapid decline of textiles and, because of this, after the Second World War players left the area for work and older players retired.

The band struggled through this period until the last 30 or so years, when they have returned to winning trophies.

The band has a turbulent history, having twice been forced to fold, only to be resurrected a few years later.

It has been running now since it was reformed for the second time in 1957.

The band once had a concert cancelled by the town council’s alderman, in 1898, because they were playing songs considered to be too popular.

As well as celebrating their 150th birthday, two band members are also celebrating 50 years with the band this year, Milton Pickles and Peter Kendall.

Mrs Stringfellow said: “We have two members who have done 50 years, which is a brilliant achievement. We have already had our band dinner to celebrate the anniversary and later in the year we will be performing a special concert at the ACE Centre in aid of Pendleside Hospice.”

The band play several concerts a year and usually enter at least two competitions in the North West as well.

This year they will be performing in Barley for the Queen’s Jubilee, and will also be playing at Durham Miners’ Gala for the third year in a row.

They rehearse every Wednesday, and new members are asked to contact nelsonbrass.com.

150 YEARS OF SWEET MUSIC

  • Nelson Band, as it was known then, was formed in 1862 and practised in a room at the back of an old inn, which later became the Lord Nelson pub.
  • After 11 years the band was boasting that it had 476 pounds and 19 shillings in prize money.
  • In 1894 they hit controversy, when the town council’s alderman called a halt to a concert in Victoria Park because they were playing music considered ‘too popular’.
  • After disbanding for a short while the band reformed in 1898 as Nelson Old Band, and rehearsed at the Prince of Wales Inn.
  • In 1920, the band acquired Clifford House and became a social club as well as a brass band.
  • The band folded for a second time in 1965 because of financial problems, but reformed a year later after a grant of £650 from the town council.
  • Since then the band has stayed together, and reached a peak in 2001 when they represented the North West in the National Finals and played in Paris.