A BRASS band from Blaenau Gwent will be mixing with the elite in their field this weekend to find out who is the best in Europe.

Tredegar Town Band will be representing Wales this Saturday at the 25th European Brass Bands competition at a concert hall in Brussels.

They will be up against tough competition from the likes of England's Black Dyke Band and the Yorkshire Building Society Band - reputed to be among the finest in Europe. However, the 30-strong band is in fine form and raring to go after two weeks of constant practice.

Alwyn Powell, band manager, said: "We are all looking forward to it and have been rehearsing for 12 nights in the last fortnight, so they are sounding as good as they ever have at the moment."

Mr Powell added: "We are just going to keep our fingers crossed and hope for a top-three finish."

The band is currently ranked tenth in Britain - which is a remarkable achievement, as this makes them the only non-sponsored brass band in the top ten.

They will also be one of the oldest bands on parade after recently celebrating the 125th year of their known existence - it is possible they may have originated as early as the 1840s.

Not only will they be facing the cream of the English brass band scene this weekend, but also representatives of Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, and Denmark in the ten-band final.

On the morning of the competition all bands will perform a test piece, which everyone has to perform, called Chain, by Belgian composer Piet Swerts, and then one of their choice in the afternoon - which in the case of Tredegar will be Peter Graham's Harrison's Dream.

Marks over the two performances will be collated to find out who is crowned as the best brass band in Europe for 2002.

Tredegar became eligible for the European final by triumphing in the Welsh competition in Swansea in March of last year.

Chairman of Tredegar Brass Band Alan Fox said: "It's a huge challenge, the field comprises the finest brass bands in Europe. It's great to be able to represent Wales in a world context. We look upon it as a triumph just to get to the final."

*PICTURED: Tuba player Rhodri Griffiths during rehearsal