This week for Looking Back, we are getting the band together to celebrate 40 years of a concert being held in a town.

This year marks the 40th year that the people of Beaminster have welcomed one of the country's best brass bands, The Fairey Band.

Each year the event has been organised by Beaminster residents Tony and Margaret Greenham, and the history dates back to 1977, when The Fairey Band performed in Crewkerne.

The couple hosted three of the band's players and struck up a friendship with one of them, Cliff Colwell, a bass player.

Cliff invited the couple to spend several holidays with his family near Stockport and consequently, Tony and Margaret attended several Fairey concerts in the area.

After visiting Beaminster, Cliff wanted the band to come to perform there, so at one of the concerts, Tony and Margaret asked musical director Walter Hargreaves if he would consider it.

Margaret said: "We asked Walter Hargreaves, who at the time was so high up on a platform, and asked if we could bring the band to Beaminster.

"Walter said yes, but for a crate of whisky."

Following this, a date was arranged for September, 22 1979 for the band to perform in Beaminster by Cliff.

Unfortunately, Cliff died of a heart attack on July, 1 1979, but the band still played, bringing with them the British Open Champion shield they had just won (the brass band equivalent of the Premier League), something that Tony and Margaret stored under their bed after the concert.

Following the concert, the band had dinner at Tony and Margaret's home, and ate steak and kidney pie and trifle, as Cliff had requested it, and Walter had his whisky.

Beaminster proved so popular in fact, that Walter remained at Tony and Margaret's house for another full week after the band had left, answering their telephone like he lived there, and since then, the band has returned each year.

One year in the particular, the band brought both the British Open Champion shield and the National Champions trophy which they had won.

The former Midlands bank manager at the time kept the bank open until after the concert to keep the trophies safe in the bank's vault.

Tony said: "When we first held the event, it proved quite popular, and we outgrew the school.

"Two years after the first concert, we moved to the church, and it has still been so popular.

"People say how did you manage to get a big band in Beaminster. It's like asking Manchester City and Manchester United to play football here."

Although the conductors and band members have changed, one member of the band has been to Beaminster every year.

Cornet player Brian Taylor was 20 when he first played in Beaminster, and has since become good friends with Tony and Margaret.

In the first concert, he played a solo titled 'The Water Mill', and for the 30th anniversary in 2008, was presented a painting of himself playing at the water mill.

Over the years, The Fairey Band has performed with some well-known conductors in Beaminster, including Major Peter Parkes, Walter Hargreaves, Roy Newsome, Derek Broadbent, Howard Snell, Garry Cutt, Mark Peacock and Eric Ball.

Eric Ball conducted his own piece, 'Journey to Freedom', in 1987, something those who were in the band at the time still fondly remember.

The concerts also raise money for charity, with previous beneficiaries including Weldmar Hospicecare, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, The Royal British Legion, the air ambulance, Help the Heroes, and also St Mary's Church itself.

Tony and Margaret's work with the band was commemorated in 2013, when they were made honorary presidents.

Tony said: "They sprung it on us, it was a real surprise."

In 2015, when the WI turned 100, conductor Mark Peacock gathered members of the Beaminster WI group to perform a rousing rendition of 'Jerusalem'.

Despite both Tony and Margaret now being in their 80s, they are still organising the concerts.

Although the rest of the world has changed, and the number of sponsors has grown from one to 10, the band is still a firm favourite in Beaminster, making friends with people living in the town.

Tony said: "If we didn't enjoy it, we wouldn't be doing it, we get a big buzz from it.

"I'm lucky I have my family around me, it's a real family effort."

The couple have given their thanks not only to the band and the sponsors who have backed the event over the years, but also to the people of Beaminster and beyond for supporting the concert.

The Fairey Band will be performing at St Mary's Church, Beaminster on Saturday, October 27.

Tickets are £12.50 with the concert set to start at 3pm.

Tickets are available at Symonds and Sampsons in Beaminster, the St Mary's Church office, and the Yarn Barton Centre.

For more information on the band, you can visit faireyband.com