ONE of the British Army’s most loved regiments will strike up the band once more as it brings its rousing military music back to the North-East.

The Band of the Brigade of the Gurkhas will return to Darlington for the 14th year running, on October 7, for an annual fundraising concert to help provide welfare, healthcare and pensions for retired soldiers and military widows in Nepal.

Organised by the chairman of the Yorkshire branch of The Gurkha Welfare Trust, Lieutenant Colonel Keith Ryding, of West Burton, near Leyburn, the concert will feature an eclectic mix of military, folk and band music culminating in the Brigade of the Gurkhas March.

“We keep coming here as the people are so supportive of the cause and rightly so as over the past 13 years the band has never failed to deliver a highly entertaining evening filled with the warmth, enthusiasm and sense of fun that only the Gurkhas can create," said Col Ryding, who served with the Gurkhas for nine years.

In addition to the musical renditions, the performance will also include the famous Kukri knife dance.

The concert is being sponsored by Vauxhall dealer Sherwoods, whose managing director Alasdair MacConachie has close links with the Gurkha regiment.

“The Gurkhas are fantastic soldiers,” said Mr MacConachie, whose father commanded a Gurkha battalion in Burma.

“They are a privilege to work with and to support both here in the UK and in Nepal.”

The concert startsat 7pm at the Dolphin Centre and tickets are £12 and £7.50 for adults, £10 and £6 for senior citizens and children under 16.

To book call the Dolphin Centre on 01325-388406, Sherwoods on 01325-466155 or the Gurkha Welfare Trust on 01969-663551.