A scratch band made up of North West players from as far and wide as Wingates, Flixton, Whitworth Vale and Healy, Hoover (Bolton), Eagley and more have just helped Channel 5 with its annual Christmas Appeal to help find abandoned animals a home for Christmas.

With the help of Richard Milton of the North West Brass Band Association and the production team at the national television station, the live 'Help the Animals at Christmas' broadcast was shown on Friday evening (21st December), with the band joining forces with the likes of celebrity stars Gabby Roslin, Anton Du Beke and even Peppa Pig!

The band's performance was recorded the day before at the Salford Media City studios, before being slotted into the live 'Help the Animals at Christmas' special, with them performing a short medley of carols, specially arranged for the night by composer William Stead.

Fantastic job

Band MD Matt Ryan told 4BR: "To get together a group of brass band players for an extra date at Christmas was a challenge, but Richard did a fantastic job. The production company was delighted that a band could rise to the task."

He added: "The evening was great fun, and we've already been asked to appear again next year.

My thanks go to all the players who gave up their time (and their MD's who let them!) in such a busy period. Hopefully the performance will help raise some money for a good cause."

To get together a group of brass band players for an extra date at Christmas was a challenge, but Richard did a fantastic job. The production company was delighted that a band could rise to the taskMD, Matt Ryan

Good fun

The youngest member of the band was Harvey Crombleholme, soprano cornet at Flixton Band and a music student at Winstanley College, who told 4BR: "It was really good fun to do something on national television.

It was great to see how such programmes are put together — it was so much different to what you think."