The Sandhouse Stompers completed their charity walk today Credit: ITV News
A brass band from Doncaster have completed a charity walk in aid of a music school set up by their friend nearly 6000 miles away in Brazil.
The Sandhouse Stompers arrived in Whitby this afternoon, after a nine-day trek that has seen them cover 120 miles from Morecambe, carrying instruments and entertaining crowds along the route.
Through sponsorship and a series of gigs, their aim is to raise £5000 for Favela Brass - a music school established by Tom Ashe in the Pereirão shanty town in Rio de Janeiro three years ago.
Tom Ashe teaching children to play drums in Pereirão da Silva favela Credit: Favela Brass
Favela Brass
Tom Ashe moved to Brazil in 2008 to explore his love of Brazilian music.
Eight years later, he admits it's 'crazy' to think that he's established a music school in a favela almost 6000 miles away from home.
The project began after Tom, a professional musician, realised that the children in the favelas were not learning music - the cost of wind instruments and the lack of lessons in the state schools meant the opportunity for poorer children to develop their skills was very limited.
After starting with just one pupil, Tom now has more than 40 children rehearsing three times a week in his home in the Pereirão favela - practicing on second-hand trumpets and trombones sent over from the UK, and funded entirely by donations.
As the world's attention turns to Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games, the children are planning a music marathon - playing on the city's beaches every day throughout the competition. They'll also be playing a concert on the official cultural stages, putting them centre stage in a city they themselves often don't get to see.
The Favela Brass band practising in Rio Credit: Favela Brass
