Bolton’s Eagley Band has achieved Royal recognition in being named recipients of The King’s Award For 2025, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. The band, its community choir, community band and Musical Director are all honoured and delighted to have been recognised nationally for their service to the community of Bolton. 

“The King’s Award aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups in supporting their local communities and working to make life better for those around them. 2025 marks the third year of The King’s Award For Voluntary Service. Receiving the KAVS means your group is awarded this for life and even after subsequent changes in monarch, your group’s award will remain The King’s Award.”

Eagley Band Chair Deb Lyons (Eagley Band member for over 40 years);

“Eagley Band is more than just music, we are a genuine family, a beacon of community spirit with a long tradition. We have achieved so much again this year. More sell-out concerts, qualifying for the National Brass Band Finals again, celebrating our 175th anniversary with a wonderful reunion concert in the Victoria Hall and now Royal recognition in receiving The King’s Award to top everything.”

Eagley Band President Gerry Russell;

“When Greater Manchester Deputy Lieutenant Michael Rollinson contacted our Musical Director Chris Wormald about bestowing this outstanding honour on Eagley back in March 2024, we knew nothing of the award’s existence. It was certainly not something we sought or applied for. It has been a privilege for many years to witness everything that has developed under Chris’s inspirational leadership. We continue to attract packed audiences to our concerts and his constant encouraging of local people to become musicians and singers has proven to be an outstanding Bolton positive for decades.”

Eagley Community Music Chairman David Warburton;

“This is such well-deserved recognition for everyone at Eagley but especially for the tireless work of Chris Wormald. He conducts four full rehearsals every week with the energy of someone half his age and continues to arre almost everything we play, sing and perform. I know I speak for every instrumentalist and choir member in thanking Chris for everything he continues to do for us and has done for the community of Bolton for over 40 years.”

Chris Wormald, MD of Eagley Band, Community Band & Community Choir;

“When I established the community band 22 years ago in order to provide a meaningful, high quality social interaction initially for retired local people who had never played an instrument before, nobody could have predicted the extraordinary standard and longevity of the band. Equally the same can be said when I formed the community choir ten years later. I never expected I would be spending more than a third of my life conducting voluntarily on Saturday mornings, nor that anything we all achieved would be noticed by anyone outside of Bolton. For Eagley to be honoured with The King’s Award for 2025 is remarkable. Keeping the news secret has been a challenge for many of our volunteers. We thank The Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Mrs Diane Hawkins very much indeed for her personal support of what we continue to do within our community and DL Michael Rollinson for his initial approach, which was the most unexpected surprise of all twenty months ago.”