Interest in the British Open Championships will be enhanced this year by the growing number of social media outlets that will bring their own views, opinions and predictions to their coverage of the event.

Art of Banding

One of those is 'Art of Banding', a new project that aims to cover the movement in words and pictures with an emphasis on community and raising awareness of banding culture to the wider world.

Liz Ely and Katy Bridgestock are two friends from Scotland with a shared interest in creative communities, niche hobbies and documentary photography.

Katy has worked on a variety of photo projects and was nominated for the 2025 Scottish Landscape Awards, whilst Liz is a writer and comedian, who grew up and played in brass bands as a youngster.

Together they aim to use their skills to share stories from the world of banding in a fun, creative way. Earlier this year they attended the Spring Festival in Blackpool and the Whit Marches, and this weekend they will be at the Open in Birmingham.

Passionate

Speaking to 4BR, Kay said: "My photography is very much centred on real people in the settings they feel most at home. I love to represent people doing the things they enjoy and are passionate about.

'Art of Banding' is the perfect project for me, because not only do I get to meet loads of interesting people engaged in a hobby that is both their passion and community, I'm also learning so much about brass band culture, a world I knew very little about.

My photography is very much centred on real people in the settings they feel most at home. I love to represent people doing the things they enjoy and are passionate aboutKaty Bridgestock

Bringing together

Liz shares her outlook. "My dad is a bander, and my grandad was an enthusiast, but I never really understood the appeal when I was growing up. Now that I am older I've become interested in the ways that art brings people together.

I think the brass banding movement has something special in this regard, and it deserves more attention. This project has been a lot of fun so far, as well as encouraging me to connect with my own roots'

Find out more

You can find their work online at @artofbanding on Instagram and www.artofbanding.substack.com