Publish date: 10 December 2025
The holiday season is now in full swing at Tameside Hospital as the community came together for the annual Christmas lights switch on Tuesday 9 December.
Despite a miserable morning thanks to Storm Bram, the rain held off for the event, which took place outside the hospital's Hartshead South entrance.
This year's celebration hit all the right notes, with a performance from the first and only official NHS staff brass band.
Tameside & Glossop NHS Charity Brass Band is composed entirely of dedicated Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust staff members who share a passion for music, with band practice and performances scheduled in their own time.
reporter Paul Crone for ITV Granada Reports.
Lindsey Rankin, a senior clinical nurse assessor for digital health, was the founding member. Following an initial call for volunteers, Lindsey was inundated with interest and the band made their debut last year at Willow Wood Hospice’s Christmas Fair.
After a busy year of performances at community events and even weddings, the brass band kicked off the hospital's 2025 Christmas lights switch on with their renditions of popular Christmas carols, including ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’, ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’.
This was followed by a festive reading from the Trust’s Chaplain, which highlighted the Christian meaning of Christmas as a celebration of Jesus’ birth. The reading also focused on the long tradition of using lights as symbols as warmth and hope through a long and dark winter.
After thanking attendees for joining and staff who will be working over the holiday season, Trust Chief Executive, Karen James OBE officially switched on the lights, sparking a round of applause as the Christmas tree twinkled to life.
