Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond had some unexpected visitors when Thundersley Brass Band showed up to trumpet support for the injured TV star.

The band paid a surprise visit to Leeds General Infirmary to play for Mr Hammond, who suffered a serious brain injury when he crashed in a jet-powered car while filming the BBC1 show.

A medley of songs to cheer up the presenter - including Born Free and Is This the Way To Amarillo - floated up to his hospital window as the band played downstairs.

Ray Phillips, concert co-ordinator, said: "We were at the national brass band finals in Harrogate when some of the band heard about the crash.

"We were staying in a hotel in Leeds and, when we heard he seemed to be getting a better, one of the guys said, Wouldn't it be a great idea if we went down there and played for him?' "We got in touch with the hospital and were invited to come along and play outside, just under his bedroom window.

"We sent him a card and got a message back from him saying he heard and thanked us very much."

The band are hoping to attract a new fan and left Mr Hammond some tickets for their next concert when they play with Zone One Brass at the Salvation Army Temple, in Hadleigh, on Saturday, October 21, at 7.30pm.

Fans of Mr Hammond have been cheered by the news he is now in a general ward after being in an intensive care unit.

He has taken his first steps following the crash, which is believed to have happened at about 300mph.

Mr Hammond's fans have raised more than £200,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which transferred him to hospital.