Banned band leads New Year parade

School marching bands are a part of US culture

A high school band that US education chiefs banned from playing in London's New Year's Day parade has arrived in the capital for Monday's event.

The Fort Myers High School Marching Band will lead more than 10,000 performers through the streets.

Florida education chiefs had banned the trip as too dangerous after the July 2005 bombings, which killed 52 people.

The 117-strong band raised $500,000 (£260,000) for the trip after parents overwhelmingly vetoed the ban.

As the band began dress rehearsals for their starring role, director Mark Dahlberg described it as a "huge relief" to finally be in London.

'Great honour'

"The past six months have been a whirlwind of emotion," he said.

"There were definitely a few moments when I didn't think it was going to happen.

"This is an incredible opportunity, the students are unlikely to have this sort of chance again - to travel to another country, with over 100 of their peers."

"We've played in front of large crowds before, but never as big as this, it's a great honour to be asked to lead the parade."

Parade organisers had joined band members' parents in fighting back against the terror concerns, pointing out that two of the September 11 terrorists were trained to fly in Florida, that the murder rate in Fort Myers was several times higher than in London, and the area was also prone to "catastrophic" hurricanes.

At one point, Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, was drawn into the controversy, criticising the decision as "possibly overly cautious".