A ROUSING Poppy Appeal concert in Otley has been hailed a sold-out success.

The Band of the Royal Air Force College performed a varied repertoire of military tunes at the annual fundraiser at Prince Henry's Grammar School on Saturday, October 15.

Representatives from the Chelsea Pensioners and the Gurkhas joined local dignitaries, including town and city councillors and local MPs, at the show.

Organiser Irene Willis, an Honorary Citizen of Otley and member of the Skipton branch of the Royal British Legion, has now been holding concerts for the Poppy Appeal for more than quarter of a century.

The 87 year old, from Guiseley, said: "The whole evening was wonderful and the music was absolutely spot on.

"The band played a tribute to the Queen at the beginning and performed Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory for the finale, and we all enjoyed a sing-a-long.

"In between we had all sorts of military music including The Dam Busters March, and we also had a the local naval cadets who paraded in.

"We don't know what we've taken yet but it will be a lot of money for the Battle Back Centre, which does such a wonderful job helping wounded and injured service men and women."

MP Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West), who has also raised funds for the Battle Back Centre, was among the guests.

He said: "The concert was a really lovely event and a nice way for our town to celebrate and pay tribute to our Armed Forces.

"The funds raised are also for a vital cause, to support the Royal British Legion’s Battle Back Centre which helps the recovery of injured service personnel.

"I want to thank Irene Willis, as the organiser, and all the volunteers and the staff at Prince Henry’s who made the event happen.

"And of course a special thanks also to everyone who took part in the concert and provided us with an evening of excellent music."