MEMBERS of a silver band are tuning up for their annual Christmas concert this week.

Cockerton Prize Silver Band is holding the performance at Cockerton Band and Musical Institute, in Woodland Road, Darlington, at 7.30pm, on Wednesday (December 12).

Joining the band will be the Darlington ‘Sing’ community choir, which will be making a guest appearance.

The choir has been rehearsing at Cockerton Club since Darlington Arts Centre closed in the summer.

Band chairman John Steel said: “We are delighted to welcome the choir to do a guest spot and it’s great that Cockerton Band and Musical Institute (Cockerton Club) is truly living up to its name by accommodating the choir.”

Admission is £4 at the door, with concessions (£3) for senior citizens and young people.

The concert begins at 7.30pm with admission, at the door, priced at £4 (£3 for senior citizens and young people).

Earlier this year the band announced plans to raise funds to extend its bandroom in order to accommodate growing numbers of musicians and an expanding academy section.

Mr Steel added: “Our fundraising has gone well, taking us to within a whisker of our target.

“We were hoping that, as a registered charity, we might escape having to pay VAT on the cost of the build, sadly this is not the case and so we now need a further £6,000 before we can commence the work.

“Christmas is the time when we find the public to be most generous and we will be playing at a number of supermarkets in the area between now and Christmas in an effort to raise the money to sustain the band over the coming year and, hopefully, swell our building fund.”

For details of the band’s activities, visit cockerton.org or call 01325-482901.