Help for Heroes

The concert was held on a very windy and rain swept Saturday the 14th November at St. George's Church, High Street, Deal.

This venue has been much improved in recent times and is an excellent venue both from a performers and an audience point of view. The old wooden pews have been removed since we last played there and replaced with more comfortable individual seats and the lighting has been radically altered giving the event far more atmosphere.

MD Dave Cutting had put together a varied programme and had made a conscious effort not to make the event too sombre. There was an obvious point to the evening and this was not lost but there was also an opportunity for the audience and band to enjoy themselves.

The scene was set for the concert with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Cortege from Mlada and followed by the trumpet solo ‘Manhattan’ with yet another excellent performance by Solo Cornet player Nigel Bogue, despite his cold!’

Goff Richard’s ‘Doyen’ followed as did the Euphonium Duo ‘Softly as I Leave You’ which was beautifully played by Dave Mason, fresh from his ‘Best Euphonium’ at Folkestone prize, and his apprentice Benn Lunn.

Next up was the Phillip Sparke arrangement of ‘Cute’ before Keith Davies performed the moving ‘Concierto De Aranjuez’.

It was nice to see Fred Thomson playing with the band again and Fred stood in on Second Baritone for the night. Of late Fred has taken something of a back seat from a playing point of view making way, as he puts it for younger players. It is testament to the quality of the band at present that we are able to put in a player of Fred’s quality as a reserve player!

Although it is a little early in the year the band played Fred’s arrangement of ‘Elegy on Away in a Manger’. This decision was taken because of the very emotive circumstances surrounding Fred arranging the piece. I will document these reasons for posterity in a future article but suffice to say that the band always plays this piece with the tenderness and subtlety it deserves.

This was, I believe, the first time many of Fred’s family had heard the piece and they had travelled a significant distance in numbers to support the concert, Fred and the ‘Heroes’.

The first half finished with Excepts from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Little Russian’, quite a blow at the end of the first half, but this exciting piece seemed to ensure that the audience did not disappear during the interval.

The second half opened with ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ with the front row swapping their cornets for trumpets and set the scene for what was to follow.

We were extremely happy with the assistance of local Soprano singer Margaret Threadgold who joined with the band to perform a very moving arrangement of Michael Kamen’s ‘Requiem for a Soldier’ used in the TV series ‘Band of Brother’s’. This piece had been specially arranged at short notice by Baritone played Dave Alexander to allow the band to accompany Margaret.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ changed the mood again before a complete change of mood in the shape of 12th Street Rag. Given that I was one of the three soloists it would be inappropriate to say too much other than the fact that Rosie Cullen and Ian Warner were superb!!!!

We were now into the final part and climax of our concert and began a phase of music to specifically celebrate the young men and women who have sacrificed either their lives or their physical well-being in the conflicts. ‘Hymn to the Fallen’ was followed by ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’

This arrangement saw Nigel Bogue, Ian Warner, Rhys Warner and James Pooley perform the soloist’s part with Margaret Threadgold singing the well known words. I would defy even the most cold-hearted person not to be moved by this rendition which was accompanied by images of the troops who had made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’.

Margaret then led the audience in a rousing rendition of the ever popular and inspirational Jerusalem which preceded ‘Sunset’ performed by Ben Worsforld, James Pooley, Tiffany Adams and Rhys Warner.

The ‘National Anthem’ ended the concert and I, for one, thought that this was completely fitting and should be played at all concerts.

Special thanks for the organisation of this event must go to Band Chairman Karen Griffiths and to Band Manager Nigel Bogue who were the main driving forces behind the event and who spent many hours making the necessary arrangements, and to MD Dave Cutting who has driven the band forward to produce the standard of performance they did on the night.

The band was pleased to welcome, as its guest of honour, the Worshipful Town Mayor of Deal Bill Gardner and thank him for his support.

Thanks too must go to 2235 Deal Air Training Corps who assisted with the evening and who were, as always, efficient, organised and cheerful. This assistance was invaluable and we would like to return the assistance with a concert on their behalf in the future.

Sir Roger Manwood’s Grammar School Combined Cadet Force also assisted and we thank them for their support.

Dave Cutting had laboured long and hard, agonising over the programme, and made his final decisions last Thursday. I had given up hope of being able to produce a programme in time and was surprised to see Band Treasurer Andy Pooley on my doorstep on Friday night looking for all the world like Neville Chamberlain, and clutching a bit of paper. This turned out to be an excellent programme put together by James! Well done James.

The performance was recorded and we hope that the resulting recording will be of sufficient quality to use for a future project and would like to thank the two gentlemen, Mike and Mike, who gave up their time to do this for us and Emma who was a great help in setting up the venue.

Of course we would like to thank Margaret Threadgold who looked and sounded every inch the professional and we sincerely hope to be able to work with her again in the future.

This was a highly successful night in excellent surroundings to an appreciative audience. It was unfortunate that more people had not braved the weather to attend the concert given the nature of the event as all proceeds from this concert will be sent to the 'HELP for HEROES' fund which raises money to assist troops wounded in battle. The fund does not seek to justify the rights and wrongs of war but simply aims to support British troops injured in them.

Nevertheless even though there were some empty seats in the venue the turn out was more than acceptable and the people who had made the effort were treated to some excellent entertainment and contributed to a very worthwhile cause.

Girl Power!!

Sixteen year old cornet player Amy Kempshall and her ‘nan’ Kath Lewis have just completed an epic 3 day bike ride from Deal to the New Forest in Hampshire.

The ride was to raise money for the Martha Trust care home and they managed to raise £976.74. Well done to you both from all in the band.

Really Promising Tiffany Adams.

Sixteen year old cornet player Tiffany Adams will be singing a solo and a duet during two part concert performed by The Really Promising Company. The first half is their new work – partly staged and costumed – a music-drama based on Maria Edgeworth’s darkly comic novella ‘Castle Rackrent’. If you like drama, opera, musical theatre, comedy, pathos and bleak black farce – this show is for you.

The second half of the evening consists of highlights from ‘Promised Land’, and from ‘Kentish Tales’, commissioned by this company in 2007.

The performance will be at the Shirley Hall, The King’s School, Canterbury at 7.30pm on Saturday 24th October.

Tickets are £12 (concessions £10).

Bye Bye Hannah.

We were sorry to say goodbye to Hannah Bye who was with us for a year playing Repiano cornet.

Hannah's was a popular member of the band and played her last concert with us at Herne Hill Church.

MD Dave Cutting presented Hannah with a card and flowers and thanked her for her hard work and her enthusiasm and commitment during her time with the band.

She will of course be missed but we wish her all the very best as she continues her studies and does her Ph.D in London.

Good luck Hannah!

Hello Kirsty.

Kirsty Attwood has joined the band replacing Hannah on Repiano Cornet and seems to be settling in very nicely.

A feature to introduce her will follow in the near future.

Deal Bandstand 27th September 2009.

Good weather saw a huge audience turnout for our second Deal Bandstand concert of the year.

Members of the band always enjoy playing to the responsive and attentive Deal audience on what is surely the finest bandstand in the area and this performance was no exception.

Highlights of the day were Principal Cornet player Nigel Bogue's excellent rendition of 'Manhattan' and the beautiful Euphonium duet 'Softly as I leave you' played with style by Dave Mason and Fred Thomson.

First ever Betteshanger female retires.

The first female ever to play with Betteshanger band has finally put her cornet away for the last time.

Sue Thomas joined the band at the tender age of 13 and paved the way for other women to join the totally male colliery band.

She remained with the band for a total of 40 years but finally decided it was time she gave it a rest and spent her Monday and Thursday evenings doing something other than attending band rehearsals.

Sue was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a thank-you gift from the band during the interval at Deal bandstand and we all wish her the very best in her 'retirement'.

Best Euphonium prize at Folkestone contest.

On Sunday the 11th October the band competed at the Southern Counties competition at Folkestone and achieved a 9th place in the First Section.

The test piece chosen by MD Dave Cutting was 'Oceans' by Goff Richards.

This was an excellent result given that the band was playing in a higher section than our current national ranking and playing against some stiff competition.

The adjudicator's comments were very positive and encouraging for a number of players who were playing in positions relatively new to them.

Of particular note were the Horn Section who have improved immeasurably in recent months and Solo Euphonium Dave Mason who played superbly and justifiably won the 'Best Euphonium' prize.

All in all a good day which bodes well for the Regionals next year.

New Chairperson.

The band has recently voted Karen Griffiths in as the new chairperson.

Karen, who plays First Horn, is a former Band Secretary, and has been with the band for about 9 years.

Although it has been some time since she was part of the committee she has remained active as a player and has been particularly active in her fundraising efforts and in her setting up of the very successful Betteshanger Academy Band.

She is a welcome addition to the committee and her enthusiasm and organisational skills will be a real asset.

CD planned!!!

Work is underway for the band to make a new CD next year.

This is planned to be a good quality product and will be offered for sale to raise funds for the band.

Help for Heros

Betteshanger Brass Band is proud to present a concert to support wounded British Forces.

The concert will be held at St. George's Church, High Street, Deal at 7.30pm Saturday 14th November 2009.

Doors will be open at 7.00pm.

Tickets can be purchased on the door £5 per person on the night although places can be reserved by calling Karen Griffiths on 07967 077493.

All proceeds from this concert will be given to the 'HELP for HEROES' fund which raises money to assist troops wounded in battle.

The fund does not seek to justify the rights and wrongs of war but simply aims to support British troops injured in them.

When the alarm goes off at 0445 hours one might be forgiven for thinking that there must be better ways of spending a Saturday morning than travelling to Stevenage to compete in the London and Southern Counties Brass Band Regional Finals. They would probably be wrong and this turned out to be a challenging yet fun-filled social occasion which showed just how unified and settled the band currently is.

Karen and I were surprisingly chipper for this uncivilised time of the day and, having been in the Brownies and Cubs as youngsters, we were remarkably organised yet still managed to irritate our sleepy dog who looked totally bewildered at the goings on.

Chairman, Andrew Moody lives almost opposite us and, as a result, we often share lifts with each other. Despite this he is often to be seen ‘dashing’ last minute to our house still chewing the remnants of his breakfast/ lunch/ dinner as he has just got home from work/ church/ ante-natal class/ social worker etc. with cornet, jacket and bag full of mutes flailing in his wake.

This morning however he was dead on time and we were quickly into the Griffiths ‘Mystery Machine’ and set off to pick up Fred (Euphonium) who was waiting outside his house which is on the way to the bandroom. Now Fred is normally a cheerful soul and usually ready with some witty retort but I have come to the considered conclusion that at 0540 in the morning he is unlikely to win many points in a charm competition….. this impression was not helped by Karen, who is no judge of mood, asking him if he was grumpy!

Anyway, shortly afterwards we were at the bandroom and a steady stream of players were appearing and looked eager to get going.

Karen opened the club and managed to set off the rather loud and particularly annoying alarm. This echoed off the surrounding houses who were woken from their slumbers and must have ruined many a Saturday morning lie in before Andy Pooley came to the rescue and with some fervent and involved entering of numbers managed to disarm the offending thing.

The gear was collected and we were on the bus and on our way with ‘in flight’ breakfasts being provided by the two Karen’s (K1 and K2) consisting of Croissants and Orange juice. Unfortunately the downside was that they were served by Andy Pooley who must surely rank at THE most unattractive hostess in the world.

Stops in Whitfield, the A2 and Canterbury saw the whole band assembled and by 0830 we were at the Thomas Alleyne School in Stevenage for a rehearsal, having dropped Andy off to complete the draw to determine order of play.

We were in fact drawn third, which was good for us and seemed to be a popular draw all round.

This year’s test piece was ‘The Once and Future King’ by Andrew Baker which, if you have not come across it, is a great piece both to play and to listen to. It is in three movements and concerns King Arthur. The legend says that Arthur will return again in time of England’s need (hence the once and future king) and the moods vary between a rousing opening movement representing Tintagel, a mysterious processional and a finale, which represents a battle. As I say it is a good piece and I particularly enjoyed rehearsing it and playing it in the contest.

We managed a creditable 6th place but many in the audience and band alike felt we deserved a higher placing.

It was a tight performance and demonstrated a wide dynamic range, which is something our recently appointed MD Dave Cutting has been working on with the band.

There were some excellent performances on the day despite a number of players in key roles who were playing in seats until recently unfamiliar to them.

Dave’s brother Steve travelled from France to rehearse and play on Bass to replace ‘Our’ John Ainley who had to work. Steve was, for the short time he was with us, a very welcome addition and seems to be a permanently happy man.

Dave Mason and his fiancé Isla made a great job of Solo Euphonium and Solo Horn respectively despite having a relatively short time in which to rehearse their parts whilst Hannah and Anna dealt with the tricky Repiano and Soprano aspects with style.

Young James Pooley played in his first contest assisting Andrew Moody on Third Cornet and reportedly made a very good job of it. Not bad at 12years old!

Steve Griffiths.

Well, by popular request, I'm back!, Actually it was Alan Langley who has, quite rightly, been asking me for some time to put pen to paper and I have at last got around to it.. It has been so long since I last wrote an article for the band website that I hardly know where to begin. A great deal has happened in the last year and, as the year draws to a close, it seems appropriate to sum up what has been a mixed bag of wonderful moments, successes, disappointments, tears and laughter.

Inevitably, due to the amount that has happened I am bound to miss someone or something out and for this I apologise in advance and will endeavour to find the time to write more regularly in the future.

It has primarily been a great year for the band which suffers few of the problems which blight many bands and the number of players on the books continues to grow at a healthy rate. The Learner band has grown too with young and old alike enjoying their music and forging new skills and friendships.

Under the excellent leadership of the supremely talented Tim Vinall the main band has found a new sound and, if audience reaction is anything to go by, they have certainly enjoyed the bands performances.
In July we performed at St. Georges Church in Deal, one of my favourite venues, at the start of the Deal Music Festival. It made a pleasant change to be involved in the festival and it seems incredible that, given that we are a Deal based band and perform at the standard we do, that this is only the second time the band has been invited to play in this long running event. If audience reaction is anything to go by I would expect that we would be welcome back, by the audience at any rate, in the future and we represented countless generations of miners and the brass band movement with style and pride. It is a mystery to me that the band is something of an afterthought and I would love to know the reason for the reluctance to include us on a regular basis. Nevertheless we were thrilled that trombonist and composer Annie Whitehead wrote an original piece of music for the band themed on breath and breathing and that we were able to premier it at the Deal Music Festival's launch concert. Further details of the venture and of Jean Fraser's 'Drawing Breath arts and health project' can be found elsewhere on the website.

A huge disappointment this year was the fact that the Burma Star Remembrance Service was not held. I have often reported that this event meant a great deal to the band and we felt privileged to be able to contribute in our own small way to the veterans who had fought and in many cases died in the Far East to preserve our freedom and way of life. With each passing year we have watched as those remaining have grown fewer in numbers and have marched to their memorial with less vigour than the previous year. This year the inevitable happened and the organisers felt they could no longer run the event. They considered themselves the 'Forgotten Army' and we must hope that their memorial at least is maintained to ensure that they are not forgotten again.
On a lighter note both of our Deal bandstand jobs were greatly supported and we were very pleased with audience numbers and participation on both occasions. I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the band, to thank our very many supporters who have turned out to hear us and who support us so enthusiastically. I was introduced to the audience, by Tim during, the second performance of the year as the band's 'novelty man'. This has led some to mistakenly assume that I was, at some time, employed in an Amsterdam night club. It in fact refers to the fact that if there is any on-stage buffooning about to be done I seem to get the job! This particular concert was no exception and I was disappointed that my shouted 'Wilma!!!!!!!!' at the end of 'Meet the Flintstones' did not get so much as a mention in 'Variety' magazine…. Such is life.

The band has also been very fortunate and indeed touched that there have been sums of money left to us in band supporters wills over the last couple of years. The letters accompanying these have been very touching and if any family members are reading this we would like to pass on our sincere thanks and are very happy that our music has given such pleasure to your loved ones over the years.

The band were unable to attend at the Stevenage contest this year due to illness and it was indeed unfortunate that, due to a misunderstanding, the organisers seemed unaware that we had withdrawn from the competition. This led to our being relegated, very unfairly in my humble opinion, but the decision stands and the band will compete in a lower section next year. It is certainly not the end of the world but is a bit irritating nonetheless. I hope to have news of a silver cup or two in the spring!

Other contest news is that we recently competed at the Folkestone contest where we were placed 7th out of the 9 bands which competed in the First Section playing the hymn tune 'Pilgrims and the Edward Gregson test-piece 'The Plantaganets. Although on the face of it this is not a fantastic result the band played a very difficult and technical piece extremely well and were beaten by some excellent performances in what is a very competitive section. Tim was generally pleased and the band was complimented, both by the adjudicator and audience members, on the wonderful 'band sound'.

Christmas is fast approaching, don't blame me… and a busy time is in store. We are all looking forward to it and the band will be in action at venues as far away as 'Bluewater' where we have three concerts lined up to entertain the Christmas shoppers. We are also playing at Whitfield Village Hall, Betteshanger Club, Manston Church, Broadstairs and St. Peter's Church, Hoo Church and of course our regular Christmas Concert at Dover Town Hall.

Dover Town Hall promises to be a bit different this year and, if things go according to plan, there will be a special appearance of the so called 'novelty man'. As if that alone is not great value the concert promises to be well worth the minimal entry fee and we hope to see as many of our supporters as we can fit in.

I can understand that with the cold winter nights it is all too easy to stay indoors but we will be out there entertaining the hardy souls who brave the dark and the elements so please make the effort to support us. Details of all of our concerts can be found on the website and tickets will, I guarantee, be good value for money.

Exciting new collaboration

The band is thrilled that trombonist and composer Annie Whitehead will be writing an original piece of music for the band themed on breath and breathing. Workshops will then take place to rehearse the new composition and become familiar with its jazz and world music influences. This original composition is bound to take the band into challenging new territory. The piece will be premiered at the Deal Music Festival's launch concert on 5th July.

This new opportunity initially arose out of photographic artist Jean Fraser's Drawing Breath arts and health project which commenced last summer. Jean has gone on to form the Drawing Breath Music Project to promote and celebrate music made directly by breathing and the health benefits this provides, particularly relevant in view of our band's history as a colliery band. Jean is planning to make images for projection during the new composition.

In these days of 21st century consumerism, it is rare for even the top-class professional bands and orchestras to have a work written especially for them. We, at Betteshanger Band are delighted to say that we are in this rarefied position. One of Europe's foremost performers and composers, Annie Whitehead, is embarking upon just such a project. Her world renown for brass-writing will be thematically linked with Jean Frazer's project on "Breath", a singularly appropriate marriage with the Betteshanger band as we not only all use the very breath of our bodies to create sound, but also our history as a former colliery band, with all the associated breathing diseases, makes this collaboration particularly apt and poignant.

There will be close collaboration between Annie and the musicians of both the senior and junior sections of our organisation, through a planned series of workshop events, during which we will explore, together, the creative processes of composition, interpretation and performance. The completed piece is scheduled to be performed for the first time at the opening concert of the Deal Music Festival, and this will be, undoubtedly, a moment of great excitement, not only for the band but also for the community in which it finds its home.

 

Tim Vinall - Musical Director

 

February 2008

East Kent Mercury February 28th

Musicians from Deal and Dover were among those joined by a television soap star for a big brass band event in London.It was organised to publicise the switch of the Australian television series Neighbours from BBC1 to Channel Five.

Members of Betteshanger Brass Band performed alongside nearly 300 other band members at Trafalgar Square to play the soap's well known theme tune. Joining them was Ian Smithbetter known to TV viewers as Harold Bishop. As his character, he has been a member of the Salvation Army playing tuba in the band. So he was the natural choice to fly to England to take part in the event.

 

Trafalgar Square - Neighbours

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January 2008

Skegness

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December 2007

I can't imagine life without my cornet.

Relaxing in front of the television watching the bittersweet comedy Brassed Off rekindled childhood memories for Steve Griffiths. As a lad he briefly played the cornet and the story about a Yorkshire town's brass band revived his interest. "I enjoyed the music in the film and have always like brass music. So I thought I would join a band"

So in 1999 Steve became a member of the Betteshanger Brass Band and, despite reservations at first, he cannot imagine life now without his cornet. However, not playing for about 39 years did present a few problems at first. "When I joined I hadn't realised how little I could play. It was really quite intimidating sitting with all those good musicians. "But I took lessons from Fred Thomson, who had been a euphonium player with the RAF Central Band, and he has taught me so much. "It is such a high standard at the band, I wanted to work hard anyway, they have all been an enormous help to me". Steve, who lives in Deal, said: "It is like belonging to an extended family. I still take lessons and am really pleased I joined."

His wife Karen plays tenor horn and their son Daniel, 17, Played the cornet before leaving home to study violin with the Army's Royal Artillery Orchestra. The couple's oldest son Ashley, 19, was more interested in drums than brass and is now in the RAF studying to be an aircraft technician.

Steve, who works for Kent Police, also writes articles for the band's website, www.betteshanger.org. Apart from concerts, he enjoys taking par in brass band competitions and on Christmas Day will be joined by other members to entertain patients at Deal hospital.

"The band is a big part of my life. I wouldn't change it for the world."

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Folkestone Contest

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A welcome break in the torrential rain plaguing this summer was just enough time for the band to perform at the annual Shepherdswell Brass on the Grass on Saturday the 7th July.

This is always a popular job with the band, so much so that we had a four strong trombone section!

The band was conducted by former MD David Burridge who selected a programme to suit all tastes with the ever popular ‘Floral Dance’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and the main ‘Ground Force’ theme all whetting the appetite of the audience for the Grand Finale of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ and ‘British Sea Songs’ during which the audience were invited to stand right next to the band during the ‘Rule Britannia’ section and attempt to drown out the band with their singing. Whilst I have to accept that they made a determined effort the threatened provision of a few song sheets next year would not go amiss and they might then give us a serious run for our money! Judging by the smiles on their faces this was a popular move on David’s part and will no doubt be eagerly anticipated next time.

This concert gave Trevor Attwood the opportunity of demonstrating what a fine Soprano Cornet player he is when he treated the audience to an apparently effortless rendition of ‘Demelza’ which was beautiful even though it was played outdoors and I for one am particularly looking forward to hearing it played indoors in a venue with good acoustics.

This concert was also memorable in that we were able to have a chat with our Bass Trombone player Mark Ashley who has been ill of late and has been unable to come to band. It was great to see him and we all wish him and his wife Lisa all the very best for a speedy recovery and an early return to band.

Steve Griffiths.

On Sunday the 17th June the band played at Pencester Gardens in Dover during a ‘1940’s’ event to an enthusiastic and receptive audience.

It was the second time we have played at this event, which features wartime vehicles, re-enactors dressed in period costume (including a rather severe looking Nazi, aren’t they all) and demonstrations of rationing for food and clothing.

Unfortunately I missed it but I gather that there was even a 1940’s fashion show with the GI’s girl being by far the best dressed with her fur wrap and American shoes.

Apparently a ‘spiv’ selling his black-market goods was apprehended by the long arm of the law nearby but must have been released on bail because I saw him supping tea from the NAAFI wagon a short time later.

To be appropriate for this event it had been requested that we played a selection of music relating to the 1940’s and Musical Director Tim Vinall selected a programme to suit, the most popular pieces of which seemed by far to be ‘South Pacific’ and ‘Miller Magic’.

During the interval I was talking with my dad and Nigel Bogue (Solo Cornet) some distance from the bandstand about how important events like this are from an educational point of view. There were lots of children at the event and it is important for them to see how people dressed, how little they had to survive on in terms of food and the necessary sacrifices made for the greater good during the war years.

Looking back towards the bandstand we remarked what an attractive venue this is too with Dover Castle sitting proudly over the town and forming a perfect backdrop to the bandstand and proceedings.

This was a fun day for the band and was enjoyed by both the audience and us and it is always a great moment for the band when the audience are calling for more at the end of a performance as happened here.

I hope we are invited to play at this event in the future.

‘Calling All Cars.’

Betteshanger Band would like to make it clear that it does not wish to comment upon the vicious rumours circulating concerning a female percussionist apparently driving the wrong way around Dover’s one-way traffic system, having apparently been enthusiastically waved out into said system, by a certain male percussionist following yesterdays performance until we have consulted with our legal representatives!

Thank you.

Steve Griffiths.

On Sunday the 27th May and Monday the 28th May 2007 the band played on the opening days of Fowlmead Country Park in Deal.

Fowlmead is located just off the A258 between Deal and Sandwich and is actually the area where the spoil from Betteshanger Colliery was deposited during the mines operation.

The area has been set-aside and developed as a nature reserve and leisure activity area for pursuits such as walking, running, horse riding and cycling.

We were particularly pleased to have been asked to open this venue as a result of our band’s origins and Musical Director Tim Vinall pointed out we still have two former miners within the band in the form of Eb Bass player Ivor Thomas and Euphonium player Fred Thomson both of whom can trace back their association with Betteshanger band and colliery many years.

The programme had been chosen to give an optimistic and summer fete type of atmosphere to the proceedings and included the ever-popular ‘Floral Dance’, ‘Groundforce’, ‘Vicar of Dibley’ and the rousing march ‘Ravenswood’. This seemed to have the desired effect and was enjoyed by our audience within our marquee despite the pouring rain outside!

In the afternoon the grand opening took place and the naturalist David Bellamy did a fine job of explaining the geographical and zoological history of the site and the importance and value of its redevelopment, which was both interesting and inspiring.

Another interesting thing he told me was that he had, in his younger days, played Sousaphone with the ‘Temperance Severn’ band and I suggested that if he ever made another trip to the site he should bring it with him and he could join in. You never know!

Steve Griffiths.

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At last the new season is underway and the band has already played at Broadstairs and Deal Bandstands and we are all looking forward with eager anticipation to the year ahead.

Broadstairs was a very pleasant day with a good-sized crowd for the time of year and for those of the band who were not in the shadow of the bandstand roof it was quite sunny enough to give the follically challenged players something to think about…. Yes, me included.

The highlight of the day was, for many, Phil Linkin’s solo on BBb bass of ‘Forty Fathoms’ this was Phil’s first public solo and a fine job he made of it too! Had I had a better memory I would have remembered that I had been tasked with climbing into our loft to recover a snorkel and mask for Phil to wear whilst playing but I forgot which was probably better for all concerned as it turned out!

Deal bandstand was in contrast a chilly day for the large crowd who turned out to see the band play but were treated not only to the main band but also to the Betteshanger Learner Band who played immediately after the break.

The Learner band has improved considerably of late and are likely to be a feature of many more of the main bands performances as well as performances in their own right.

Under the baton of their Musical Director Keith Price they gave excellent renditions of a march, ‘Tom Bowling’ and a suite entitled ‘Clockwork’s’ which was written especially for junior band but which is quite a challenge for the learner band but one they met with some style. A charity event is planned for them in the near future when they will perform at the Martha Trust Care Home and they are currently rehearsing hard for this event and the intention at this time is that this will provide the opportunity for the debut performance of a piece by Keith Price entitled ‘Footie Suite’. This is, as its name suggests, bits of famous football songs put together into a piece and is very popular with the learners. I have to say that for a Mancunian like myself there is a bit too much of that ‘never walking alone’ stuff for my liking but I will let him off.

As far as the main band are concerned Nigel Bogue played the Cornet Solo ‘Zelda’ which illustrated why he is the Solo cornet player in the band and it was popularly received by both audience and Nigel’s fellow band members.

Other than the bandstand performances the band played at St. Edmunds School in Dover with the French Band Attou Vent. This was a pleasant nights playing with us taking the first half of the concert and our guests taking the second half of the concert but I have to say that the audience turnout was, by any means, abysmal with both bands proving both entertainment and audience despite the event being extensively advertised. It was a real disappointment for the organisers and I can only assume that there was something pretty good on TV that night.

More optimistically we have a good summer programme lined up and are raring to go. Do take some time to look at our list of jobs on the ‘Home’ page and make a point of coming to see us at some point this year. Musical Director Tim Vinall has selected a couple of excellent programmes for the year which should appeal to a wide variety of audiences and age groups and which cover a variety of styles. Believe me, I know, I have to wear a wig in one of them!

Steve Griffiths.