A BRASS band spectacle raised £723.50 as kind-hearted musicians rallied to help a friend paralysed from the neck down in an accident two years ago.
Gilbert Symes brought together the banders at the White Lion in Delph to put on the event for John Owen, now in a wheelchair he skilfully controls with his chin.
Two hours of brass music filled the pub car park, which was packed with supporters and friends, as world champion whistler David Morris conducted the band.
Gilbert compered the afternoon, adding in humorous anecdotes along the way about the band members and their competitions together over the years.
And a surprise auction with two special items boosted the fundraising total, which will help John to purchase a new vehicle adapted to fit his wheelchair in.
Gilbert explained: “John is quite a good artist and he had done a drawing, using his chin, of a horse. We auctioned that and a walking stick I carved and got about £80.”
He added: “It is sad we came together under these conditions but we have got to do the best for our pal. It was a fantastic event for a fantastic lad.”
John, who lives in Glossop, spent seven months in Southport Hospital after severing his spinal cord in the accident and is now wheelchair bound.
He said: “It is wonderful to know I have a lot of friends who have done this for me, some I have known for 30 years and some I haven’t seen for almost that long.”
And the event brought together four friends who used to play together in Rochdale Band: John Catterall, Ian Duckworth, John Owen and Gilbert Symes.
They are pictured here now (above with Jimmy Tew) and (left) back in 1978 when they won the Quartet Championship and the adjudicator praised the ‘unusual combination’ whose performance he couldn’t find anything wrong with.
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