THE long-awaited book chronicling the first hundred years of Alcester Victoria Silver Band was finally unveiled at the town hall on Thursday.

Editor Nigel Kift signed a limited number of copies of the book, which is now on sale at Guy's Menswear, High Street, priced £7.95.

The book features a written history, a wealth of pictures and anecdotes, as well as an article taken from the Alcester Chronicle of June 22, 1897, charting the band's success.

Also included is a copy of the very first minutes taken in the same year and a set of rules, which dictated that the band should be known as The Alcester Victoria Drum and Fife Band and latecomers to rehearsals would be fined 1d.

Mr Kift said: "It was a very good start and an awful lot of interest was shown.

"There have been a lot of favourable comments from those who have read the book."