THE Blackpool life-boat band, which was founded in 1884, and was then the only life-boat band in the world, has now been disbanded. The idea of forming a band was conceived at a time when Blackpool had not yet become a popular holiday resort, and the life-boat coxswain, Robert Bickerstaffe. and his cousins John and Tom were mainly responsible for bringing the band into being.

The band raised money for many charitable causes. In 1895, for instance, after a disaster to a number of fishing boats from Fleetwood it raised considerable sums to help the dependants of those who lost their lives.

To raise money on different occasions it visited cities as far away as Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham..