A brass band enthusiast who has championed musicians of all ages in Cornwall and Devon will celebrate 25 years of radio broadcasts at the weekend.

Phillip Hunt is the presenter of the Sounds Of Brass programme, which is broadcast on BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Devon and throughout the BBC local radio network every Sunday evening. He started the weekly series back in 1985 and Sunday, September 5, will mark 25 years to the day. First broadcast on BBC Radio Devon, Sounds Of Brass is now carried by nine BBC local radio stations, as well as worldwide via the BBC iPlayer.

To mark the silver anniversary, Phillip will be joined on the lawn of Broadcasting House in Plymouth by St Austell Band, conducted by Aaron Harvey, for a special celebration broadcast. It will be the first time a live band has been featured on the programme. The musicians will be joined by vocalist Alison Harvey.

St Austell Band’s manager, Rob Faro, said: “We are delighted to accept the invitation to join Phillip and the BBC in celebrating the 25th anniversary of Sounds Of Brass. It will be a great honour to support Phillip, who has always promoted the brass band movement in the South West with his show, which most of the band have grown up listening to on a Sunday evening.”

Musical director Aaron Harvey added: “I am very excited to be taking part in this broadcast. It will be a challenging time for the band, but with such a talented group of both young and experienced musicians we are sure BBC listeners have lots to look forward to.”

As secretary of South West Brass Band Association, Phillip was asked in 1983 to present a monthly brass band diary date spot on BBC Radio Devon. This carried on for several months before the station decided to record a number of brass concerts in the county, which Phillip introduced. Several 12-week series followed.

Two years later he was asked to present a programme every week on BBC Radio Devon and Sounds Of Brass went on the air on September 5, 1985. Apart from a couple of summer breaks in the early 1990s, it has continued every week since then, each one presented and produced by Phillip.

A major highlight came in 2004 with the composition by Cornish composer, Kevin Ackford, of a signature tune for the programme, which he called — not surprisingly — Sounds Of Brass.

“The aim has always been to appeal to a wide range of listeners, not just brass band enthusiasts, by playing tuneful and familiar music,” said Phillip, who is a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedd for his services to brass band music. “And while there has naturally been room for the more serious original brass band compositions, lighter pieces, including plenty of solos, have formed the backbone of the programme. The mix has been well received over the years and with the continued support of the BBC, the listeners, and the bands, Sounds of Brass hopes to be on the air for a long time to come.”

Sounds Of Brass is broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Guernsey, Jersey, Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire every Sunday from 7pm.