BOLTON workers are being urged to forsake their lunchtime gym session or pub pint and rediscover long forgotten musical skills.

A Bolton music teacher has set up a service to encourage more adults to use any free daytime hours to take up an instrument.

The Allegro Music Service was launched this week by Heaton piano teacher Philip Butterworth with a concert at Harker and Howarth showrooms on Folds Road by his younger pupils. But among the performers was 33-year-old Andrew Kluge and his five-year-old son Anthony.

Until six weeks ago Andrew, managing director of Farnworth firm Supercover, had not had piano lessons for over 20 years.

When Anthony started learning Andrew was inspired to take up the hobby again and he now takes lessons in his lunch hour. Mr Butterworth believes many more adults would like to do the same.

He has gathered together 10 other tutors to teach a variety of other instruments and hired a studio at Harker and Howarth.

They even offer gift vouchers so people can give their friends and relatives.

"People may have given up as children but there are thousands of adults out there who wish they had carried on," said Mr Butterworth.

He believes many adults now wrongly believe that that they could only have lessons in the evenings, when they may have other commitments. "We are giving parents something different from the golf course or coffee mornings. And workers can have something different to do in their lunch hour than going to the gym or sitting on the town hall steps eating a sandwich."

Anyone interested in the service can contact Mr Butterworth on Bolton 844775

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