A COMPOSER commissioned to write a march to help a junior brass band celebrate a North-East town's links with its twin in Germany met the young musicians at the weekend.

Roger Thorne travelled from his home in Shropshire to hold a workshop with the Consett Junior Brass in Consett, County Durham.

The band is planning to travel to Werdohl, in Germany, for festivities to mark the 30th anniversary of its twinning with Derwentside next year.

Band leader David Jackson, a teacher at Consett Junior School, was in the party from Derwentside that made the first trip to Werdohl in 1975.

He said: "During the Christmas period we used a number of arrangements by Roger Thorne.

"The band enjoyed them and we thought it would be fitting to ask him to compose the march for us.

"When we approached him he said he would be only too delighted and would like to meet the band members.

"He spent the day with them and remarked on how hard they worked."

Mr Jackson said the piece, called Consettonian, would incorporate a tune by the Consett Salvation Army member Isaac Unsworth.

The band won a £500 grant towards the cost from Consett North Partnership and have raised another £250.

The trip in October will cost about £5,000.

Published: 25/01/2005