On Friday 21st June myself and a number of fellow players from City of Chester Bluecoat Band will be partaking in the Light Lakes Massed Band as part of the Light the Lakes celebration organized by COPS, Care of Police Survivors charity who support bereaved families of police officers and staff who have lost their lives on duty.
The Light the Lakes event is an annual event whereby teams climb the Lake District fells and light flares at 3am in remembrance of those who have died on duty.
The Massed Band has been a relatively new part of this touching event, attending for the first time in 2022, with 8 different bands represented. It has grown in popularity each year since, with players from almost 40 bands signing up for the 2024 event.
It will truly be a unique experience that we are all very much looking forward to. All players will first congregate in Rydal Cave to play together at 9pm before we begin the climb. This year due to the numbers of players signed up we will actually be climbing three different peaks – Loughrigg Fell, Wansfell and Latrigg, before playing atop the peaks at 3am whilst families and supporters light their flares. Thankfully my tenor horn is one of the smaller brass instruments to carry!
There will also be a social event on the Saturday afternoon where we will all come together to perform in various ensembles at Brathay Hall for everyone who has been involved with the event, as well as hear COPS representatives and those supported by the charity.
The Light the Lakes Massed Band fundraising page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/light-the-lakes-massed-band
Further information on the work the COPS charity does can be found here https://ukcops.org/
