AT first glance in 1991 the friendly little village of Flookburgh owed more to fishing than to flugel horns.

But all that could have been about to change thanks to the efforts of a group of enthusiastic men and women who hoped to put Flookburgh well and truly on the musical map.

Flookburgh Band had reached the prestigious national finals of the Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and would be competing against the cream of the country’s brass bands at the Wembley Conference Centre on October 5.

The band won an automatic place in the finals after emerging victorious as section four champions of the North of England in a keenly fought contest at Darlington earlier that year.

Under the baton of Welsh-born conductor Alan Lewis, the band, founded at the beginning of the century and formerly called the Flookburgh Silver Band, beat 15 other northern bands from a wide area stretching from the west to the east coast.

Flookburgh Village Band had reached the national finals on three previous occasions but this would be the first time they would compete as outright champions of the North of England.

They would be competing against more than 20 bands in the 1991 finals and would be playing a test piece called Four For Brass.

Tenor horn player and band publicity officer Paul Winters praised the dedication of all the men and women who played in the band.

He also praised the work of the band’s conductor Alan Lewis, head of music at Sedbergh School.

“Alan came to hear us play in February when we needed a new conductor.

"The arrangement was that if he liked what he heard he would join us,” said Mr Winters.

“He probably didn’t think a small fishing village would have much of a band, but he obviously liked what he heard and became our conductor.”

The musical fame of the Cartmel Peninsula also includes the Flookburgh and District Amateur Operatic Society, which performed The New Moon in 1997.