A MUSICAL Mixture lived up to its name at the weekend, when variety was the key word in an evening of entertainment performed for charity.

Turton Rotary Club hosted the event at Bolton's Victoria Hall, to raise money for the life education unit which tours schools in the area, teaching pupils the importance of looking after their bodies.

Bolton Youth Choir, with Jane Hampson, and Richard Iles and the Bolton Youth Jazz Orchestra performed in the first half of the show.

The second half was dominated by Smithills School Senior Brass Band which opened its hour long programme with a performance of Army of the Nile.

Another new piece for the band, Andy Duncan's arrangement of For the Love of a Princess (from Braveheart) followed featuring award-winning soloist Lynsey Hayes, 18, on Flugel Horn.

Lynsey then performed solo in the Mark Walters' version of Concerto di Aranjuez (Rodrigo). Next came the trombone section of Ricy Govan, Kim Rothwell and Paula Brockbank who offered a fun rendition of Frolic for Trombones (Heath).

Hannah Morris, still only 15 and with a top selling solo CD already to her name, sang a three song set with the band. New Principal Cornet Selina Govan (16) and Solo Horn Aidan Smith (17) gave performances of Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry and With You I'm Born Again, before Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade.

The band concluded the evening with a performance of the Stravinsky ballet music from Firebird opened by award-winning Principal Euphonium Jessica Bowman (16).

The band gave an encore of Mack The Knife, a quick, up-tempo arrangement featuring Selina Govan and Lynsey Hayes as soloist with bass work by new Principal Gary Talbot (15) and equally faultless kit work once again by Ian Findlay.