CHRISTMAS wouldn’t be Christmas without the sound of brass banging the drum for Bolton Hospice.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Eagley Band and Smithills Community Band and Choir Christmas Concert with be performing in aid of the Queen's Park Street care hub on the nearest Saturday to Christmas Day.

This year's concern will be at the the town's Victoria Hall on Saturday December 21 at 7.30pm.

It will take place in the presence of the Mayor of Bolton Cllr Hilary Fairclough.

,The concert will feature plenty of family audience participation throughout, with the singing of festive carols in between band and choir items, but the now traditional finale of standing up, sitting down and general chaos in the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' finale.

Tickets for this year’s concert are already selling fast and with our last three Victoria Hall Christmas concerts being packed full would be concert-goers are urged to purchase quickly.

Band members, singers, conductor Chris Wormald and pianist Robert Aston tare looking forward to performing to an audience of over a thousand people in a great atmosphere.

The Christmas concert will see the lights dimmed for carols including 'Silent Night', 'Away In A Manger' and 'The First Nowell'.

In addition to traditional carols known and loved the world over, there will be the short, annual presentation of Eagley Band Awards in the first half of the concert.

These include Bandsperson of The Year, Players’ Player of The Year, Most Improved Player of The Year and the Musical Director’s Award.

Previous winners of the trophies in the past two years have been Marcus Atty, Rebecca Crompton, Geoff Gliddon, Lynsey Hayes, Caitlin Stranks, Leo Turner-Patel, Lilly Taylor and Martyn Walsh.

Tickets priced at £5 for everybody are available from the Victoria Hall box office (in person or on line), from Booth’s Music, Jeff James Hairdressing, Bolton Hospice and the Bolton Hospice Shop, Smithills School Reception, Egerton tickets (on line with no booking fee at all) or on the door if the concert isn’t sold out.

Mr Wormald said: "We look forward to another fantastic evening of Christmas music in the Victoria Hall on Saturday December 21."