A MAN who provided the music to many Bolton couples' first dances has died.

Geoff Gething was believed to be the last surviving member of the Palais de Danse band.

His death at the age of 90 at Royal Bolton Hospital on September 28, following a short illness, came alongside the final days of the dance hall, which has now been demolished.

Born and bred in Bolton, Mr Gething was a member of the 12-strong group which performed every week in the popular town centre venue.

Mr Gething's son Martin said: "As far as we are aware he is the last surviving member of the band.

"He has died more or less at the same time as the Palais coming down. It really it is the end of an era.

"He had good memories, they were his golden years. He met my mum at the Palais and always joked about it being an odd courtship because he couldn't dance with her while he was playing but would keep an eye out to see who she was dancing with!

"In those days they were considered stars of the town, on par with footballers in terms of what they earned and local celebrity – which makes my mum one of the first WAGs!

"Just before he died he saw the pictures of the Palais demolition. A part of him was sad because it was some of his best days but he was also philosophical. He knew times had moved on and the Palais would never go back to being like it was."

Mr Gething was brought up in Bury Road and later Great Lever with parents Percy and Edith and four siblings, before moving to Deane after tying-the-knot with wife Sheila.

He learnt to play the clarinet at school and was one of the first members of the Bolton Youth Orchestra.

In 1945 he was called up to the armed forces as a member of the Royal Signals and joined the army band where he learnt to play the saxaphone.

After three and half years he returned to Bolton and became a professional musician with the Palais Band.

Mr Gething, aged 61, adds: "It was the place to be when you were young.

"There was a good camaraderie between the members of the band. They had a high reputation in the town."

When Mecca Dancing Ltd took over the Palais in 1956 the band moved on.

Renamed the Phil Foster Band, they played at Nevada in Spa Road and to help support his growing family, the now dad-of-three got a day job as a van driver for Warburtons.

He continued playing with the band and other for venues, alongside names including Ken Dodd, Matt Monro and the Noland Sisters and, as a member of the Territorial Army band, even performed for the Queen.

In his 50's he left Warburtons to become a music teacher at various schools in Bolton, Salford and Cheshire, before finally retiring at the aged of 79.

However, he continued to play where he could and, after moving to Little Lever, could often be found on the saxaphone alongside the Jeriatric Jazz group in The Jolly Carter.

One of his final gigs was to play at his granddaughter Emma's wedding in 2014.

Mr Gething said: "He said he was more nervous playing for Emma then when he played for the Queen!

"There are some musicians who never retire, as long as they can keep physically playing and have breath in their lungs they will continue. My dad was one of those types."