SWANAGE Town Band is looking forward to another summer season playing on Swanage Bandstand.

The band has a range of brass and woodwind instruments, and plays a lively selection of marches, songs from the musicals and popular music – everything from the Beatles to Bernstein via Bond theme tunes and big band classics.

The band regularly attracts crowds of up to 200 locals and holidaymakers and, while the concerts are free, friends and relatives carry around collection buckets for donations to local charities.

This year the band will be collecting for Purbeck Youth Music, which encourages children to play musical instruments by providing lessons and loaning instruments, and Herston Village Hall Rebuilding Fund – the hall is a community hub, hosting services such as a youth club, playgroup and community larder.

As well as its bandstand concerts, the band also supports local events and charities by playing at fetes and other fundraising events.

Swanage had a band during the late 19th and early 20th centuries but in its current form held its first practice in 1995 with just eight musicians.

Since then it has grown to more than 40 members of all ages, almost all of whom are amateurs.

The band practises every Wednesday evening in Swanage Methodist Church.

If you live in or around Swanage and are interested in joining, contact the musical director, Dave Cook, at daveswanband@gmail.com.

For updates and other information, see the band’s Facebook page.