The Rivington & Adlington Band has announced that their musical partnership with conductor Matt Whitfield is to come to an end.

During his tenure they claimed a memorable Fourth Section runner-up finish at the 2023 North West Regional Championships, going on to give a fine performance at the Cheltenham National Finals.

They also claimed a podium finish at the Kirkby Lonsdale contest and post a top-six finish on their return to the Third Section at the 2024 North Championships.

Loved it

A spokesperson said: "Matt joined us following an emergency phone call on the weekend of the areas in 2023 and stayed ever since, but will now be moving on to bigger and better things.

We've loved having Matt in the bandroom again and have gained a fair few trophies under his direction. He will leave us with all our best wishes and we're sure he'll go on to do great things. He has brought to us his own distinctive flair, humour and wiggle that we'll all miss."

An announcement on his replacement will be made in due course.