AN EARLEY-BASED band recently raised enough money to fund a potentially life-saving defibrillator.

After a member of another local music group had his life saved by a defibrillator after collapsing during a rehearsal, Trinity Concert Band - a symphonic wind band based in Lower Earley - decided to keep their members safe by raising money to have one on-hand themselves.

READ MORE: Travellers in Tilehurst evicted as encampment set up in Prospect Park

One member said: "To that end we decided to raise money to purchase our own portable defibrillator to ensure that we are prepared for any similar worst-case incidents, to keep our members and audience safe, so that we can continue enjoying music together as part of a community.

READ MORE: Northcourt Road: Police warning about burglaries

"We saw this as a long-term project and when we started fundraising with our 2019 Christmas concert raffle we merely planned to get the ball rolling, so you can imagine how overwhelmed we were to reach our target just one month later!

"Money has come in from a generous Christmas charity donation from Earley-based Power of Pilates; our clarinettists providing carols at the Twyford and Ruscombe Local History Society’s Christmas social; one of our flautists doing a sponsored £300km walk; proceeds from our Christmas Concert raffle and public donations.

"All of this means we've been able to go ahead and purchase our defibrillator, and fund some of its ongoing maintenance costs.

"When the device is not travelling with us to our concerts and outdoor events it will be housed at our base, Trinity Church in Earley, where it will be available to everyone who uses the church."

For their next concert, the band are returning to Wokingham to take audiences on a spectacular voyage of musical discovery with their ‘Space Sensation’ - a cosmic concert jam-packed with space-themed music such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Apollo 13, Fly Me to the Moon, Mars and Jupiter from Holst’s The Planets, Star Trek, Strauss' opening theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey, E.T. and lots more.

The event is scheduled for lift-off on Saturday, march 14, at All Saints Church in Wokingham, starting at 7pm.

For tickets, visit the website.