Young brass musicians in national championships
BBCA group of young musicians will be taking part in the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain - the first time their ensemble has done so in 30 years.
The Cumbria Youth Brass Band, which relaunched in 2023, has players aged seven to 17 and rehearses at a variety of venues across the region.
Musical director Stuart Humphries, who took over last year, described recent weeks as "a bit of a whirlwind" and said the upcoming national event was an "amazing opportunity" for the children.
Some of the young people involved said it was a "once in a lifetime" occasion and were excited to perform with their friends.
Cornet player May Birkett, aged 10 and from Langdale, said she was excited for the opportunity.
"I'm a bit nervous, going on stage is nerve-racking," she said.
"But it's great because I get to do it around my friends."
As part of an outreach programme to get more young people from the region to take up music, the band members have been receiving expert coaching from undergraduate students from the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in Manchester.
The head of the college's community engagement programme Philip Goodwin said as well as providing free brass tuition across the county they were also delivering other opportunities for young people, including an online course.
The five-year programme aimed "to boost the provision of music education and engagement for under-18s across West Cumbria" and also provide access to "world-class tuition", the RNCM said.
The band will perform at the championships, also known as the Youth Champs, in Birmingham on 28 March.
Correction: This article was updated on 24 March 2026 as a previous version incorrectly labelled a cornet as a trumpet.
