It wouldn't be Christmas without a Salvation Army band performing carols, and so it was reassuring to see musicians in The Maltings Centre giving a two-hour recital of some of the nation's festive favourites.

They were all members of the London Fellowship Band, their presence also marking the resurgence of the sound of brass from the local St Albans Salvation Army church where the resident Korean ministers, Lieutenants Wan Gi Lee and Eun Ok Shin, have encouraged a number of the congregation to learn how to play an instrument.

So successful has the initiative been that over the coming weeks the newly formed band has been asked to play in the city centre, outside supermarkets and at care homes around the district.

The response and generosity of the public has been remarkable, with this collection alone raising more than a thousand pounds for the Salvation Army’s community work in the city which includes a food bank, practical support for the homeless and toys and Christmas presents for families struggling from the effects of the Covid pandemic and rising energy bills.