Bolton man, 93, plays recorder for the public rain or shine

The born-and-bred Boltonian, who did not wish to share his surname, has been playing the recorder since 1935, when he was aged just four.

Now, despite having eight by-passes in hospital, Brian chooses to spend his time playing his Hohner recorder outside for passers-by to hear.

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Undeterred by rain, 93-year-old Brian can be found on his perch outside TSB in Bolton town centre in most weather conditions. The born-and-bred Boltonian, who did not wish to share his surname, has been playing the recorder since 1935, when he was aged just four. Now, despite having eight by-passes in hospital, Brian chooses to spend his time playing his Hohner recorder outside for passers-by to hear. He said: “It is a meeting place, you meet people – you make them happy. You make other people smile if they have long faces as they’re passing. “You get the odd people who swear at you, but you take no notice of them because it’s them who’ve got the problem and not you. “They’ve got a problem, that’s why they swear at you, it makes them feel important.” Read more on The Bolton News.

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He said: “It is a meeting place, you meet people – you make them happy. You make other people smile if they have long faces as they’re passing.

“You get the odd people who swear at you, but you take no notice of them because it’s them who’ve got the problem and not you.

“They’ve got a problem, that’s why they swear at you, it makes them feel important.”

Brian, who was brought up in Astley Bridge, learned the recorder from his family.

He said: “It’s in the family, music, it’s in the family.

“I can’t play a lot of my instruments. I’ve had eight bypasses.

“My hands are full of arthritis, so the violin and the mandolin and all that, I could still get tunes, but not as I’d like to present to the public.”

The nonagenarian said the weather doesn’t deter him as he is always happy when God is with him – after discovering his faith while in hospital after his first four bypasses.

Brian on his perch outside TSB, in the town centre (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

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Brian is clear on his favourite genre of music.

He said: “Folk music is the best music, all music came from folk music – your classical music came from folk music, and most of it has a story to tell, and most of it has nice tunes.

“You get stuff that they won’t allow you to play, like certain songs of freedom, rebel songs – they’re not. They’re people just expressing the way of how they think life should be.”

While he doesn’t have a favourite, Brian says The Skye Boat Song is one piece he is fond of.

He added: “They’re very good, especially this instrument – you can make a haunting sound or you can play it fast, and it doesn’t sound the same. You can have variations with it, the same tune.”

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With a life spanning 10 decades, Brian says one thing has changed since he was born.

He said: “People. That’s what’s changed, people. They’re not as open and willing to help each other and listen especially, listen to what people say.

“Not just hear the words, but actually listen and know what they mean by what they’re saying.

"That’s general though, that’s not just Astley Bridge, people will speak and they don’t know what they’re saying, some of them, and those listening don’t hear what they’re saying.

“At the same time, the same word can mean different to one person as it does to another. You’ve got to look for all these things and then you come to a conclusion, don’t you?

“People sharing time with each other, that’s very important because you cannot buy time.

"People are prepared to share part of their life with you by giving you their time and actually listen to what you say, it’s a very good moment. It is.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.