By JOEL SAWYER

A SEED of hope planted a year ago this month which aimed to fight for Warrington's place in music's hierarchy has taken root and blossomed.

Warrington Music Collective (WMC) celebrates its first birthday this month since its creation on the chat pages of the arts website, www.wirearts.co.uk.

A lot has taken place over the course of a year and the collective is going from strength to strength with each month as more and more acts come out of the woodwork with its support.

And newly-elected chairman Phil Long is delighted with the progress.

He said: "The first year has very much been a kind of balancing act - we've been finding our feet as an organisation - but we've had some very real success.

"Firstly we now have a regular showcase spot at the Barley Mow in Warrington - which has basically become the home of the Warrington Music Collective.

"They've been kind enough to provide a pin board for WMC bands to post news on - and a permanent advert for the WMC - and www.wirearts.co.uk - outside the pub.

"These are recent accomplishments which show the WMC is starting to be taken seriously."

Twelve months has seen the number of members swell from the teens to the 50s and the establishment of a close friendship with a similar collective in Wigan, a partnership which has helped the Warrington group develop its goals and aims.

Phil said: "Our links with the Wigan Music Collective are a major accomplishment - It is a shining beacon to us. They've got their own venue, a monthly newsletter and a good following.

"They've been established for three years and they are helping guide us in our endeavours to prove that live music matters and that Warrington is full of musicians with true creativity and true emotion.

"The collective has become a great way to meet other bands of various genres. Bands have put aside differences caused by events which promote competition - they've realised that they are all in it for the same thing and it's better to work together than against one-another."

And if all this is anything to go by, the future is very rosy for Warrington's musicians.

Phil added: "We've got a long way to go - but I think we've already come a long way too. We have to make a serious effort now to target funding to enable us to get our own equipment and promote ourselves with more determination.

"We are currently drawing up an application for charity status - from there we will start targeting funding.

"In the long-term the WMC needs a permanent venue with a stage and equipment to be able to put on blinding gigs for Warrington.

"We'd like to bring music to younger people too - at the moment our gigs are held in a pub. It'd be great to bring young people in to experience Warrington's talent and let them know they can do the same - or just enjoy those who are able to express themselves in this fabulous way."

To contact and find out more about the collective, check out the wirearts website.