FORMER members of the Aldbourne Band are being sought for a night of nostalgia for a special 55th annual concert later this month.

The annual concert held at Immanuel Church in Upham Road, sees dozens of music lovers come together to appreciate the harmonious sounds of the group which was first founded in 1860.

Now, chairman Ian Keene would love to see old faces make an appearance at the concert on January 27.

The 55-year-old first joined the junior band aged eight after his father was a player and conductor.

“The family links are quite strong within the band and in old photos, we have brothers playing together, father and sons as well as cousins,” Ian said.

“The family links to Aldbourne helps keep us together and we have a great group of supporters from the village who provide financial support in fundraising for us and we try to raise money for new instruments whenever we play.

“From the old chaps who used to play, there must be about 13 still alive from the photo we have from 1963.

“We have tried to send out individual invitations to all the people who are still with us and some still live in the village or Swindon area but others live further away now but it would be great to get everyone together.”

The award-winning band, whose members range from 17 to 73, play a number of concerts every year, including the BBC Wiltshire Christmas Carol Service at Salisbury Cathedral.

Over the last five decades they have also competed in a number of national competitions including the National Brass Band Championships.

To mark such a momentous occasion on the 55th anniversary concert, it is hoped old faces will come back to watch what promises to be a night of nostalgia.

Ian added: “We are trying to put on an entertaining concert with music that the band would have played back when they did the first concert here. We want to revisit the music from 55 years ago and hear a little bit about what it was like playing back then and share memories.

“The draw of people has changed over the years and where people live. When I first joined, it was a village band but now there are players who travel from Wantage, Bristol and Basingstoke to attend. Either way, the root and heart of the band remains in the village.

“We are a busy bunch but we all put in a lot of commitment and enthusiasm to make the best music we can.”

The concert starts at 7pm with tickets costing £10.

For more information visit www.aldbourneband.org.uk