AN appeal has been launched to help young musicians in Christchurch secure all-important funding.

Christchurch Music Centre (CMC), an independent and volunteer-led group, are bidding for a £5,000 community award from the One Family Foundation.

And they are calling on local residents to show their support by simply voting online.

The funds from the award will be used by the music centre to enable them to establish a new specialist percussion group alongside its two popular and successful wind bands.

This would provide an opportunity for young musicians who are keen on percussion playing to learn and develop their skills, as well as enabling other musicians to enhance their rhythm and beat proficiency.

CMC’s music director, Polly Phillips, said: "Percussion is the heartbeat of any band or orchestra.

"In enhancing the percussion skills of our young people not only will this benefit the musicians in our junior and senior wind bands but it will also be a big help to other local musicians playing in school bands or other local groups."

Project leader Jack Whitton added: "With this additional funding it would enable us to hire a specialist percussion coach so that we can explore the many themes and skills essential to percussion music.

"We would also be able to purchase the additional equipment and instruments that we would need to support a percussion-orientated group."

The One Family Foundation has committed to make £5million available to its members over the next five years to make their lives and communities better.

Voting is open and closes at midday on November 3.

Go to foundation.onefamily.com/projects/christchurch-music-centre-percussion-group/ to vote.