Verwood Concert Brass band bids to become national champions

A brass band is making final preparations for its first bid to become national champions.

Dorset's Verwood Concert Brass will play at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday 3 October.

It is the first time the 162-year-old group has qualified for the Championship Section National Finals.

Third cornet player Jan Tiller, who joined the band in 1980, said she had seen it rise from the fourth tier to the highest rank of band competitions.

She said: "The analogy is like AFC Bournemouth going through the leagues and joining the Premier League.

"[We're] playing against some of the best bands in the world - the Black Dyke Mills, the Foden's, the Cory and the list goes on.

"My late husband always believed there was something special with Verwood and it just needed the right people to keep us moving up through the sections."

The band has previously only reached the lower tiers of the national finals.

On Saturday, Tiller will share the famous London venue with the country's top 20 ensembles.

She added: "For me, it's a dream come true. I attended the national finals as a supporter for many, many years.

"I've never, ever believed I might actually walk out on that stage."

All finalists will play Philip Sparke's 'A Road Less Travelled By', with judges sitting behind a curtain in order to remain impartial.

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