One of Britain's best brass bands is right at home in the heart of Merseyside.
The Skelmersdale Prize Band was formed in 1874, and has come a long way from its humble beginnings rehearsing in a bakery on Sandy Lane, winning the North West Third Section Championships in February, and the Nationals in September.
It remains one of England's oldest brass bands, surviving two world wars, depression, a deadly 1976 fire which burned its bandroom and instruments to dust, and the outbreak of Covid-19.
READ MORE: Man tried to jump from motorway bridge after vile pair stole his benefits
The band's musical director Ben Coulson, who joined the band at the age of 12, said: "The role of the band has broadly stayed the same for the last 148 years. The band still takes part in key parades, from Remembrace Day, church festivals, walking days, weddings, park concerts, as well as normal concerts and competitions.
"The only thing that's changed it the repetoire. The modern bands have such an amazing, diverse repetoire, whether that's rock, pop, jazz, as well as music traditionally written for big bands. It used to be very traditional, very old-fashioned, but it's only really in the last 30 years that bands have started to play popular music."
The band, which has around 30 members ranging from age 14 to 72, practices twice a week at The Bandroom on Hutton Road.
It occupies an increasingly rare position in the world of music, as more and more brass bands are forced to close due to a lack of players, which Ben said was a result of waning popularity and the limited opportunities for learning more "unusual" instruments.
He said: "Brass banding really had its heyday in the 1970s and 80s. ITV used to have a televised brass band competition every year and it was brilliant. These were really innovative programmes at the time. Ever since then, bands haven't been as popular.
"Instruments like the tenor horn, which are in the middle of the band, are only seen in brass bands. The upper instruments are cornets, tenor horn, flugelhorn, euphoniums, baritones, trombones, tuba and percussion. It's a real hot topic, because a the instruments are hard to learn to play and they're quite expensive. Not as many schools offer brass lessons, so there's less people learning, which means less members.
"There are some schools around that do brass lessons, but nowehere near as many as there used to be. If they do offer lessons, they're often guitars or keyboards, not brass instruments.
"Certainly since the pandemic a number of bands have folded. Our band is in a very good position, we're lucky that we're a regional band and national champions. We do well at attracting players. But for bands who don't have our success, it's really difficult. I think unless something is done it's likely we will lose more bands in the near future."
He added: "The role for the players has really stayed much the same. For a successful band to maintain a good level, most bands rehearse twice a week and it's a proper family-and-friends occassion, a room of 20 or 30 people having a good laugh as well as working hard. The band has the purpose it's always had, the social aspect, the connection, the belonging to a group.
"I grew up as a kid playing in the band. Now our youngest player is 14 and our oldest is 72. It's a proper diverse background - retired people, students, teachers, nursers, builders, electricians.
"For the future, I really hope we can continue to have really good public engagement. I really want more big concerts, played to massive audiences. The second thing I was to look at is continuing our success in competitions, raising the profile of the band nationally, and the town as well."
Are you a brass or percussion musician who wants to get involved in Skelmersdale Prize Band? Email skelmersdaleprizeband@hotmail.co.uk.
READ NEXT:
Dad took girl, 5, to hospital three times before she died of Strep A
Murdered dad could have been victim in plot to destroy evidence
Liverpool's lost 'rough' pubs from 'criminal sanctuaries' to a 'dark ages Moe's Tavern'
When to take children to A&E over Strep A fears
We blind taste tested Marks and Spencer and Aldi mince pies and there was a clear winner
