YOUNG musicians from York will mark New Year's Day by taking part in a major parade through London.

Members of the Centurion Show Band, based at Huntington, will join 10,000 performers from across Europe and America in the capital's New Year's Day Parade.

Marching bands and dance troupes from 20 countries will be involved in what the organisers claim is "Europe's greatest annual street parade".

A TV audience of more than 200 million across five continents watched last year's 20th anniversary event, with major broadcasters such as the BBC, CNN, Fox News, Sky and CBS all expected to cover Monday's spectacle and more than half-a-million spectators expected to cram the streets.

The musicians will weave their way along a two-mile route, which starts near Big Ben, in Parliament Square, and goes past Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.

The Centurion's involvement is a remarkable achievement for a band which only held its first rehearsal in October, 2005. Director Adrian Dawes said it was invited to London after performing at the Edinburgh Spring Festival earlier this year and winning the title Best British Music Group - the first time the trophy had left Scotland. "It's a great honour," he said.

Before heading to London today, the musicians had one final rehearsal in torrential rain yesterday at York Racecourse, which sponsors the band. Adrian said they would be performing outside the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank tomorrow before a "gently merry" celebration of New Year's Eve.

He said the "high energy" band, which uses a diverse range of instruments, including brass, woodwind, and percussion, had about 40 members aged between ten and 25, who came from across the York area and further afield, but was always looking for more members.

Anyone interested in joining should phone Adrian on 07706 103552.