WAY back in 2002 Making Music staged The Adventures of Bookman and Robyn (...and Stanley) one of several highly imaginative productions put on by the Lakeland organisation from the late 1990s.

Written by Anne Pater and Jonathan Humble and conducted by Mary Gordon, it was another huge success and starred nigh on 1,400 youngsters from 31 primary schools.

Clad in their customary red, the youngsters of Milnthorpe Primary Steel Band opened the event at Kendal's Westmorland Hall, and soon had the audience tapping away, swaying to their infectious beat.

Forward to 2015 and the band are keen to recruit more members.

The Milnthorpe outfit has been in existence since 1998, following the purchase of ‘half’ a steel band by Milnthorpe Primary School from a school band visiting from Manchester.

The school band was introduced as a way of enhancing musical opportunities within the school and increasing the public profile in the wider community.

As the band became more experienced, the players graced local events such as the Mary Wakefield Festival in Kendal; nationally they raised the roof in the Festival of Music of Youth in London.

The Community Steel Band was formed at the same time as a way for interested individuals outside the school to take advantage of a previously unheard of opportunity of playing and performing in a full steel band.

It was known affectionately as Din on a Bin.

In 2005 the bands merged into Milnthorpe Steel Band.

"Most of our players have little or no musical experience when they join and in recruiting for the band we always emphasise that experience is not essential - but a sense of humour is," explains booking secretary Shelley Hackett.

"There aren't that many steel bands up here. It's an interesting way to experience music that people might not ordinarily get. It's an uplifting sound that really does make you tap your toes and want to join in.

"And it's the most enormous fun. The band's strength is it's camaraderie and support of each other and new players when playing and learning new pieces.

The band's extensive repertoire of tunes range from Austin Powers to Van Morrison via Christine Aguilera, Caribbean standards, like Island in the Sun, some Bob Marley, Beatles classics, film themes, Queen, Scissor Sisters and Abba, to name just a few, put together by musical arranger Andy Whitfield.

Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings at 5.30pm at the Creative Confectionery Warehouse at Elmsfield Park Industrial Estate, near Holme.

For further information telephone Shelley on 01524-701834.