The wonderful Brass for Africa charity will be launching its 'Big Brass for Africa' appeal at the British Open Championship at Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Saturday.

Start

Brass for Africa began in 2009, when founder Jim Trott was helping to store 30 rather old and well used brass instruments whilst waiting for his son Angus to finish playing in his junior brass band.

On finding that the instruments were potentially destined for the scrap heap, Jim, a British Airways pilot, set about finding a new home for them on his next duty trip to Kampala, Uganda.

Overwhelming success

The charity has become an overwhelming success with patrons such as trumpet stars Allison Balsom and Guy Barker at the forefront of raising it international profile.

Now you can help too, by finding out more about giving life-changing donations, such as unwanted instruments, mouthpieces, music, mutes and stands — starting at Symphony Hall!

It's ground breaking work with the charity already supporting its first Brass Learning Manager in Kampala — so every donation will help.

Similar purpose

As Chris Fower, Director of Education, Brass for Africa told 4BR: "Brass Bands in the UK were partly created to provide an environment where those without access to the joys of music could come together and make music, lifting themselves from the drudgery of everyday working life in pits, mills and factories.

We are using banding for a similar purpose so that underprivileged children in Kampala and Liberia can escape the reality of very hard lives. Along the way life skills, self worth and self belief are nurtured and a family of band members born."

Now you can help too, by finding out more about giving life-changing donations, such as unwanted instruments, mouthpieces, music, mutes and stands — starting at Symphony Hall!4BR

Make a donation at Symphony Hall

So if you are coming to enjoy the world's finest brass bands at the British Open at Symphony Hall why not bring along an old instrument, mouthpiece, some music, old mutes and even stands — all will be gratefully received and all will change a child's life.

More information:

For further information about Brass for Africa go to: http://www.brassforafrica.org/