News- Archive News 2007
January
Happy New Year - A Happy New Year to all our Patrons, supporters and our sponsors Elcock Reisen Coaches. We leave 2006 on a high having just spent 12 months in the Championship Section of Banding and although short lived we enter 2007 a better band than we were and ready to make sure that it is not too long before we again return to the Championship.
2007 Looks as if it will be just as busy as 2006 for both concerts and contests as our events calendar shows. We are in fact attending our first contest in just a couple of weeks when the band travel to Skegness to take part in the Butlins Brass Band Championships. This will again be under the stick of John Maines who with our resident conductor Chris Lewis has directed us as ever in the right direction, putting on worth while performances on both the contest and concert stage.
Another highlight of 2007 to look forward to is the return of the Melligen Band from Switzerland in August of this year. This will be their third visit and one we are already looking forward to. We'll keep you informed of our plans as we build up to their visit so that you can hopefully join us and get a chance to listen to this wonderful band.
So as we move into 2007 here is a round up of what's been happening in the band room at the tail end of 2006. We look forward to seeing you during 2007 and wish you a very Happy New Year.
Pontins - Our final contest of 2006 was at Pontins in October and although we could only gain an 18th place this did not matter to the band as we came away from this contest with a great sense of achievement. The piece 'Blitz' is no walk in the park and would, if you'd have asked any player in the band 12 months ago their thoughts of it, been told "its not a piece this band could play!". That response would of course be completely different now as we have made a performance out of the piece that, although not to the Adjudicators liking, was a performance where each member could play their part and when leaving that contest stage was left feeling the had achieved something. This believe is down to the leadership and direction of John and Chris and more importantly the 28 individual players whose effort both in and out of the band room have brought an atmosphere of believe into the band room that is inspiring to all.
Alls Well - During the build up to Pontins our second Euphonium player Chris Smith had to be rushed into hospital a week before the contest with a strangulated hernia which had to be operated on that day. The operation was a success but did mean he would not be able to play at the contest and so a deputising player had to be found. Thankfully Emma Field principal Euphonium with Stourport band stepped forward and with just four rehearsals and having to play the previous day with her own band in the First Section at Pontins helped us out on what was a tricky part for the euphonium section. We are glad to say Chris has now made a full recovery and is back playing with the band although he does take it a bit easy at the moment when trying to hit those high notes!
This was not the only misfortune to hit the band in its final week of preparation. John Neathey who was playing Repiano cornet at the contest found out on the Tuesday of that week that he had to be in Toronto, Canada, on the Monday of the Pontins weekend. This meant there was no way he could play with the band and so another dep had to be found. This problem was sorted out by Tom Kwaterski who is currently at the Royal Northern studying music and was back helping out the band for this one contest. He roped in a playing mate Simon Crick, who plays with Harrogate Band, to help out. Simon wasn't as lucky as Emma though he only got one rehearsal on the piece the day before the contest. Thank you to both Emma and Simon and also to Phil from Ashton band who played Soprano your help was very much appreciated by all at Jackfield.
Returning Players - We would like to welcome back Debbie Holland. Debbie has been filling in on the vacant 1st horn chair during the last few months as we endeavor to fill it. Debbie is married to Simon our Solo Trombonist and has during the last few years been playing with another Telford brass band Newport.
We would also like to welcome back John Harris, John joined the band back in July but was forced to stop playing for a time due to an injury to his lip he sustained while gardening. His lip we are glad to say has now fully healed and John is back playing with us on Repiano Cornet.
Also in January we will be seeing the return of two former players Gareth Cook and Ian Burns. Both are cornet players and are initially joining on the back row for the Butlins contest.
New Players - We are glad to welcome a number of new players to the band. They are Sarah Jayne Smith who joins us on cornet. Sarah is the daughter of Chris Smith our second Euphonium player and has joined us having just left Burton Burrow School, where she was part of their successful brass band, to start college in Wellington.
Also joining on cornet is Nick Hampton, Nick's brass training has been through the Oakengates branch of the Salvation Army.
Finally we would like to welcome Donna Thomas, Donna is due to join the band in the middle of January after the Butlins contest. She will be taking up the vacant 1st horn chair which Debbie is currently filling for us. This though doesn't mean an end to Debbie's playing as unfortunately our current 2nd horn player Bev Lenton will be taking a break from brass playing after Butlins to undergo some dental work which will put her out of brass playing for a while. She will however still be with the band as she is moving to the percussion section during this period.
Bass Help - We welcome Ade Wilson to the band to help out on the bass section for the Butlins contest. Ade will be playing Eb Bass for the band as Matthew Pearson moves from Eb onto Bb Bass to fill the vacancy we have there for the contest. Ade plays principal Eb Bass with Wem Jubliee Band and we thank them for allowing Ade to play.
Christmas Fundraising - Christmas is a busy time of year for the band as we undertake a number of Christmas concerts as well as caroling, at our local Tesco's on Wellington retail park, and this year was no exception. This all culminated with the bands annual Christmas concert at the Anstice Hall Madeley. This years concert featured only the band and was very well received with the whole concert taking on a more family appeal with a lot of emphasis on audience participation through the ever charismatic guidance of Martin Brookes the concerts compere. This concert along with the many other concerts and caroling in December will help raise approximately £2500.00 for the band which will be used towards purchasing new instruments in 2007. The band would like to thank everyone who attended the Anstice concert or dropped a coin or two into the collection buckets outside Tescos as without your support the upkeep of the band would be very difficult.
Brookes Trophy - This years Brookes Trophy was awarded to Eb Bass player Bryan Adams. You may remember Bryan aka Bryan Mac Bass playing Tartan Tuba at Anstice 2005. Or you could have been lucky enough to have got a box of chocolates or even better still a Christmas kiss when he became another alter ego Frosty the Snowman at this years Anstice Christmas concert. Wherever you may have heard him you will have to agree he is a joy to hear and watch!!! So well done Bryan for becoming player of the year it is well deserved.
Hudson Shield - This years 'Players Player of the Year' was awarded to Darrin Smith for his work behind the scenes of the band. Darrin, or Smid as he is known to everyone, also plays Bass, but Bb, and so was a double for this years bass section. Smid has won this shield a number of times in the past and would like to thank all those in the band and committee that support him and contribute towards what is a team effort by all in running the band.
New Percussion Link - On our links page you will find a new link to Jam Percussion. Jam Percussion provided help recently in the purchase of a new set of Clash Symbols the band required. They allowed us to test a number of sets of cymbals as well as providing their percussion experience of selecting the best. So thank you to Tony Lucas and all the staff at Jam Percussion.
New Patron - We welcome two new Patrons Ron Miles of Jackfield and Trevor Matthews of Claverley to the list of Patrons who help support Jackfield Band. We thank Ron, Trevor and all of our Patrons for their support and should you wish to become a patron then please see below for more details of how you can help support Jackfield Band and what we offer you as a patron in return.
Butlin's Success - It was definitely a Happy New Year as the band started it off with their first contest and a weekend away at Butlin's Skegness. Following the bands move to the First Section, the determination was evident in rehearsals leading up to the contest that the band wanted to use the experience of the championship section to their advantage. With this and the direction of John Maines the band took to the stage with confidence and following a steady start the band moved through the piece producing some excellent sounds. The middle of the piece did rock slightly but the band kept its nerve and confidence and didn't let this dictate the end of the piece which was steady and positive. All this was rewarded with a forth place out of a field of 20 bands which left everybody really pleased with their performance and a confidence now as we build up towards the regional's on 10th March. If you'd like to read the adjudications of Dennis Wilby and Geoffrey Whitham click here.
New Player - A late addition to the band to play at Butlin's was Gregg McEwan. Gregg joined the band just two weeks before the contest to play Soprano for us an instrument he hadn't played before! Although he hadn't played soprano before this didn't stop him impressing the adjudicators at the contest with comments of "lovely sop" and "fine sop". Greg usually plays trumpet and can often be heard as part of musical productions around the West Midlands.
New Patrons - The band are happy to announce the following new patrons Ken Evans, Jack Bowen, Michael Edwards and Patricia Hill. We thank them for their support and hope they enjoy being a patron of Jackfield Band.
More Events - A number of new concerts have been added to the events page. They include an invitation to play at the Music & Real Ale Festival which is being origanised by the trust that own AFC Telford United as well as playing at a Garden party at Oldbury Lodge in Bridgnorth. We have also been asked back to provide music at the Lady Foresters Centre Fete in September.
February
March
Congratulations - The band would like to congratulate Neil and Emma Armstrong on the birth of their first child Reuben Peter Armstrong. Reuben was born on Friday 2nd March and weighed in at 7lb 3oz. Both mother and child are well and I'm sure Neil who plays 2nd Trombone with the band will be looking forward to wetting the baby's head this Saturday at the regional contest in Burton-Upon-Trent, that is after we've played!
A Complete Guide - Band conductor John Maines has just completed his latest book 'The Complete Compere Notes Guide'. It contains 421 pages of facts about composers ranging from Bob Marley to JS Bach so would benefit any conductor or compere.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy or would like to know more about this very interesting book then email John Maines by clicking here.
Below is a forward by Elgar Howath
Where else are to be found biographies of Shostakovich and Thomas Vowler Short side by side, or Mahler sandwiched between George Macfarlane, composers extraordinaire, and Richard Maldwyn-Price composer of (amongst other works in a lengthy list) Fantasy on C aptain Morgan’s War Song?
John Maines has created a unique and, one imagines, invaluable guide to a whole world of composers whose very existence is ignored by Grove and his peers. Where he has found such a wealth of information and in such detail defeats me.
During a lifetime I have wondered who Paris Chambers was – John Hartmann too. Here I have clear succinct answers
If like myself you are a collector of out-of-the-way information it is the book for you. If you are called upon to compere programmes, particularly of band music, or to write programme notes for concerts you simply can’t afford to be without it.
New Player - To help cover the vacant Eb Bass for the regional contest on 10th March the band welcome John Elliott. John plays with the local Salvation Army Band in Oakengates and we thank him for all his help.
Band Injuries - The band were given a scare when Chris Lewis severely sprained his playing hand when he got it caught in a horses bridle. His fourth and fifth finger had to be strapped up following a visit to ER which has made it quite difficult for him to play. Chris is playing 2nd down next to principal cornet Jo Payne and we hope his fingers heal in time for the regional contest.
Strip The Willow - The band enjoyed a night off rehearsals on the 17th February for a night of Ceilidh dancing at Madeley Court Centre. The music was provided by ceilidhography that features Matthew Pearson, who swapped his Bb Bass for the Bass Guitar. The proceeds from the evening were split between the band and Ceilidhogarphy and we thank them for an enjoyable evening
Band Qualify for National Finals - Following on from our success at Butlins in January, the band has under the baton of Johns Maines gained third place at the First Section Midlands Regional Qualifier in Burton-Upon-Trent.
With this comes an invitation to represent the Midlands region at the National Finals in Harrogate in September. It is not since the early 1990's that the band has qualified for the finals and so this opportunity added even more to the celebration of coming 3rd.
The band was competing against 19 other bands from around the Midlands for a chance to play at the finals so competition was fierce. The band drew number 1 and so had to start the whole contest and therefore provide a performance that the adjudicators would not forget as they listened to the other 18 bands performing Eric Ball Sinfonietta, ‘The Wayfarer’. This is exactly what we did and with all the soloists performing well we came off stage confident we had done ourselves proud and set the bar to which the other bands would need to perform.
How good our performance was, was not fully realised until the results where we found out that we had led the competition right up to the performance of band number 16 Derwent Brass and eventual winners Gresley who played 18th.
We now look forward to the finals in Harrogate in September and the opportunity to compete against the other regional finalists from around the country.
It was also a successful day for two other Shropshire bands at the contest with Wem Jubillee taking first place in the Third section and Wellington Brass taking third in the same section. Both bands have qualified for the Third sections finals held also in Harrogate and we send them our congratulations in their success.
April
May
AGM - The Band AGM took place on the 4th May with the following election of officers: -
Secretary - Darrin Smith
Treasurer - Tony Hartley
Librarian - Erika Canty
Publicity Officer - Jo Payne
Committee Members - Cliff Pearson, Peter Jackson, Kelly Hodges, Matthew Pearson
The band discussed its trip to the National Finals in September as well as the visit of the Mellingen Band in August.
Congratulations - The Band would like to congratulate Gregg and Ellie on the birth of their son Sebastian John. Gregg who plays soprano with the band has already initiated Sebastian into banding by bringing him on the band bus for the recent Sansaw Park concert and although a little bit early to say it was commented on that he did have the look of a future bandsmen about him.
New Players - The Band welcomes Adrian Wilson on Eb Bass as a full time member following his help at the Butlin's contest in January. Adrian was playing with Wem Jubilee and saw success with them at the Regional contest in March where they become the Midlands Third Section Champions and hopes to continue that success with Jackfield. Another new member is Ollie James who joins on the percussion section. Ollie is a very skilled percussionist who was playing with Porthywaen Silver, 2nd section, and we welcome him and hope he enjoys the challenge that Jackfield can other him.
New Link - The Band have a new link on their website to Inchcape Volkswagen - Shrewsbury who have recently sponsored two concerts the band gave at Enginuity Ironbridge and Sansaw Park Shrewsbury. Both concerts were given to help raise funds for the Seven Hospice and helped raise many thousands of pounds towards this worth while charity. We along with the Seven Hospice would like to thank John Mills of Inchcape Shrewsbury for arranging these events and hope to work again soon with him and Inchcape on other concert ventures.
And New Instruments - Jo Payne, principal cornet, this week took receipt of a new Prestige Cornet curtsey of the band. The band bought the instrument following Jo's own instrument started showing its age and was requiring major repairs. The prestige is Besson's top of the range model costing the band around £1500.00 and is in much demand by many top cornet players.
Rehearsal Change - From next week the band are changing rehearsal night from Friday to Thursday night. We believe that this change will benefit both current players and possibly encourage new players to come and have a blow with the band. This change of night will be trialed up to August and if successful will become permanent.
June
July
Events Change - We must apologise to users of this site following a mistake in the recent update to our events. Users of the site would have noticed the removal of the Brass in the Park - Pont Robert which takes place on the 21st July. We are glad to inform you that this job has not been cancelled and will take place on the 21st July at Pont Robert Powys. However the appearance of the 10 piece at the Dawley Day on the 7th July will not take place. We apologise for any inconvenience or confusion caused and hope we will see you at Pont Robert on the 21st.
Ironbridge Gorge Brass Band Festival 14th / 15th July - This years festival which starts this Saturday at 11:00 and finishes Sunday at 19:00 will feature 15 brass bands in concert from around the Midlands with a very important aim to raise money for the Severn Hospice Telford Appeal. All the day concerts have free entry and feature an all day barbecue and bar as well as the chance to visit the many craft workshop units that make up the Maws Craft Centre.
In the evening there will be the chance to be part of a brass band spectacular as both Jackfield and Wem Jubilee Band join together to provide an evening of music which will be capped by a last night of the proms finale when both bands become one. Tickets for this evening concert are available at £5:00 each by contacting Festival Organisers on 07952 926550.
Organisors have also this year provided a Park and Ride service which will be running every 10 to 15 minutes on Saturday and Sunday between Legges Way Car Park Madeley and the Station Car Park Ironbridge to the festival at Maws Craft Centre. Organisers hope visitors to the festival will take advantage of this service due to limited car parking facilities around the main festival location. A map of pickup points for the Park and Ride service is available by clicking here.
Below you can find the running order of bands appearing at this years festival and for any further information visit the festivals website www.ironbridgebandfestival.co.uk.
Saturday 14th July
11.00 - 11.45 - Abraham Darby Band
12.00 - 12.45 - Stiperstone Brass
13.00 - 13.45 - Porthywaen Youth Band
14.00 - 14.45 - The Bell Inn Cleobury Mortimer Band
15.00 - 15.45 - The Phoenix West Midlands Brass
16.00 - 16.45 - Porthywaen Silver Band
17.00 - 17.45 - Wem Jubilee Band
Evening Concert
19.00 - 22.00 Jackfield Elcock Reisen Band / Wem Jubilee Band
Sunday 15th July
11.00 - 11.45 - Wem Jubilee Youth Band
12.00 - 12.45 - City Of Wolverhampton Band
13.00 - 13.45 - Newport Town Band
14.00 - 14.45 - Knighton Town Band
15.00 - 15.45 - Salvation Army Band
16.00 - 17.00 - Wellington Town Band
17.10 - 17.40 - Newport Town Band
17.50 - 19.00 - Jackfield Elcock Reisen Band
Bank Holiday Concert Spectacular - This August Bank Holiday the Jackfield Band and their guests from Mellingen Switzerland the Stadtmusik Mellingen Band will be performing together in a concert spectacular at Selwyn Hall, Abraham Darby School, Madeley, Telford.
The concert being organised by the Rotary Club of Ironbridge will take place on Saturday 25th August and will begin at 7:30 and will show off the musical talents of both bands as each perform a programme of music before joining forces to perform as massed bands.
Jackfield will be conducted by their professional conductor John Maines who has this year lead the band to its first National Finals Appearance in over 10 years.
We are also hoping that we can arrange a special guest appearance by one of Britain's leading Brass Band Soloist but we won't say anymore until we know for definite!
Tickets for this concert spectacular cost £6.00 and are available by contacting one of the following numbers 01952 592836 - 01952 432432 – 01952 586985.
Come Welcome Stadtmusik Mellingen Band - Stadtmusik Mellingen Band arrive on Friday 24th August and are with us until Monday 27th and to welcome back for what will be their third visit to Jackfield we are arranging a welcome party at Maws Craft Centre Jackfield.
This informal gathering by both bands will have a social theme to it and will be the first time that the two bands have been together since August 2005 when Jackfield were the guests of the Mellingen Band.
Starting around 7:30 we will welcome Mellingen band to Jackfield and hopefully see both bands give an impromtu concert as a taster to the Saturday night concert. Also we may even see a performance by the Jackfield Ten Piece. So if your free and would like to help us welcome the Mellingen Band your more than welcome to join us and get there weekend off to a great start.
More details are available from Darrin Smith on 01952 592836 or by emailing jackfieldband@btinternet.com
August
September
Mellingen Players Enjoy Visit - Over the August Bank Holiday weekend players of the Stadtmusik Mellingen band were again our guests for a fun packed weekend. The weekend started on the Friday when the band were collected from Luton Airport and brought to Telford to be paired up with their hosts before being taken to Maws Craft Centre for an impromptu concert and welcome party which included a BBQ .
On the Saturday a sight seeing visit to Bridgnorth in the morning was followed by a musical workshop for the Mellingen Band with Jackfield's professional conductor John Maines at the Abraham Darby School before enjoying a fish and chip supper.
The day ended with a superb evening concert in the Selwyn Hall at the Abraham Darby with both Jackfield and Mellingen playing individual programmes before joining together to create a massed band finale.
Sunday was a day of leisure with Mellingen players being taken off to RAF Cosford museum where they enjoyed the new Cold War exhibit and a picnic before returning to Coalport for an evening at Coalport Village Hall where Jackfield players had put on a buffet and Karaoke. Each Mellingen player was also presented with a limited edition tie to celebrate their visit to Jackfield in 2007.
On Monday the Mellingen players sporting their new ties left Jackfield for Luton Airport in good mood saying it had been their best visit yet to Jackfield and looking forward to seeing us returning to Mellingen in 2010.
The players of Jackfield Band would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for their support in helping make this weekend so enjoyable for the Mellingen Band: -
Elcock Reisen Coaches
Peter & Sabine Townsend - Maws Craft Centre
Rotary Club of Ironbridge
Abraham Darby School
Martin Brookes
Supporters of Music at Abraham Darby School
Graham Lyons
Inchcape Volkswagen Shropshire
1 Week To Finals - Yes this Saturday, 29th September, is finals day for Jackfield when they represent the Midlands in the National Finals of Great Britain in the first section that are being held in Harrogate. As well as the first section the other lower sections of fourth, third and second will be contested by all those bands that qualified from their regional contests held in March and April. The piece for the first section which all bands will have to play is 'Victorian Snapshots on Ratcliffe Highway' that the band started rehearsing in earnest following the visit of the Mellingen Band.
The finals will be the first for the band in over ten years and so are looking forward to doing their best under the direction of John Maines. It is also good to see that those players who got the band through to the Finals in March are the players that will be taking to the stage on Saturday.
We would also like to wish Wem Jubilee and Wellington Band the best of luck as they to travel to Harrogate to represent Shropshire and the Midlands in the third section national finals .
Principal Farewell - As we celebrate our visit to Harrogate on Saturday we will also be saying farewell to Joanne Payne as she performs her last performance with the band as principal cornet at the finals. Jo is leaving the band and Telford to complete her music degree in Huddersfield.
Jo joined the band in November 2003 and soon found herself playing Principal cornet when she took over from James Cunningham. Her tone and ability shone through at many concerts and contests and helped the band gain many well deserved contest results including a place at this years national finals as well as entertaining many a concert audience with her virtuoso playing.
She has also been a committee member and took responsibility in ensuring that for every concert the band had a full cornet section when regular players were missing.
We would like to wish Jo all the best when she returns to Huddersfield and hope that she has enjoyed her time with Jackfield and we are all looking forward to hearing her make her mark at this years finals on Saturday.
Ding Dong - To help during rehearsals of the finals test piece 'Victorian Snapshots on Ratcliffe Highway' the band have invested in a set of tubular bells for the percussion section. The tubular bells costing over a £1000.00 where sourced through Jam Percussion of Liverpool and as well as being used in this test piece there is more and more call for the role of tuned percussion in both contest and concert music.
Family Affair - Earlier this year Ollie James joined the band on percussion and now we are glad to welcome Anne James his mum into the band. Anne has joined on 3rd cornet and will be playing in this weekends finals her first contest with the band. Anne like Ollie is a former player of Porthywaen Band and we hope she enjoys her move to Jackfield.
New Patrons - The band are happy to announce the following new patrons Dr & Mrs. Whitney and Bernard & Dorothy Richardson. We thank them for their support and hope they enjoy being a patron of Jackfield Band.
October
Disappointing Finals - Disappointment is the only way to describe how we felt following the results of the National Finals last Saturday 29th September. It all started with the draw and drawing to play 1st and knowing that we would have to take to the stage at about 3:30 and put on a performance that would stay in the adjudicators minds as well as be a possible benchmark for the other 17 bands competing. So at about 2:30 we began the process of pre-contest warm-up and registration and a long wait while the previous sections results where announced.
We took to the stage in what could only be said as a somewhat atmospherically lacking auditorium at the Harrogate International Centre with many many empty seats that were possibly down to the overpriced entry tickets price of over £7.00. Our performance though was worthy of our place at the finals and very encouraging from the respect of the work and effort we had put in to rehearsing it. We left the stage happy in how we had performed and hoped we had done enough to give us a chance.
We then had the wait of 5 hours for the results and the reports of how different bands had coped and where they thought we were which included encouraging news of after first six band being the best so far! So spirits were high and we went to the results hoping we had done enough from a 1st place draw to be in the results.
Unfortunately, it turned out we had not, and having not been announced in the results of the first 6, we found out we had come, for us a disappointing 14th. It seems our performance was not what the adjudicators where exactly looking for and so as they say 'that is banding!'
But at least we made it to the finals and so all we can do is look forward to next years regional qualifying competition in March with the aim of qualifying again.
Farewell Jo - Disappointing as the finals were it was also a disappointing Sunday too, as we said goodbye to Joanne Payne as she left the band to begin her music studies at Huddersfield. Jo has been the bands principle cornet player for the last 3 years and we wish her all the best in Huddersfield and hope she has enjoyed he time with the band.
November
Bouncing Back - After the disappointment of the National Finals in September and with only 5 weeks of rehearsing the band have bounced back with 5th place at the Pontins Brass Band Championships on November 3rd at Prestatyn Sands, Prestatyn.
In a field of 17 bands we were drawn to play 8th on the test piece Sinfonietta For Brass Band by James Curnow. Again under the leadership of John Maines the band took to the stage a little hesitantly knowing the short time we had had to prepare and that all other bands competing that day would be wanting to be the band to that beat one of this years National Finals bands.
The performance started well before rocking in the opening section of the first movement but settling again to a good finish. In the second movement some slips in the solo areas did not, as has been the case in previous years, rock the band and in all we gave a secure yet tuneful performance. In the final movement the band played with style ending solidly.
The adjudicator appeared to like our performance and although we did have a number of clips and some unlucky solo moments they still believed we deserved a top 6 finish which was against what the predictions of 4barsrest had put forward as their top 6 for the contest.
If you would like to read the adjudications for the contest please click either adjudicators name to read their remarks Stan Lippeatt or Kevin Wadsworth.
Principle News - As you know here at Jackfield we are currently short of a principle cornet player following the departure of Jo Payne at the end of the September. While we searched our resident conductor Chris Lewis stepped in temporarily for the Pontins Contest and we thank him for that. We are glad to announce that the position is now filled and that Gayle Bussey the bands current Flugel player is to take up the challenge which we all think she will have no problem doing as I think you would agree if you have heard her playing Orange Juice at any of our concerts.
It does mean we do now have to find a flugel player so any interested parties should email or contact Darrin Smith on 01952 592836.
New Players - After a break of over 10 years from the band we are glad to welcome back Kerry Ruston on second cornet. Kerry played at Pontins with the band even though she has only been back playing since October. Many will remember that Kerry was once the bands principle cornet player as well as having playing soprano and Flugel. We hope she enjoys her return to banding and we are glad she is back.
Also we welcome David Altham to the band. Dave joins the horn section having recently moved to the area and is an ex-player of the world famous Black Dyke Mills Band who you may have heard of. His experience will help strengthen an already strong horn section and we hope he to enjoys his time with the band.
Anstice - With only 7 weeks to Christmas the biggest question on everybody's lips is when are the Anstice tickets going to be available. Well they are in the process of being printed and should be available by the end of next week. But to save disappointment and not to miss out you can pre-book them by ringing me on 01952 592836. The cost of tickets is £6:00 each and the date of the concert is 16th December.
Anstice Tickets Now Available - Tickets for the Bands Christmas concert on 16th December at the Anstice Hall Madeley are now available at a cost of £6:00 each.
They can be bought by contacting Darrin Smith - 01952 592836, Paul France 01952 432432 or by emailing your name and contact number and required number of tickets to jackfieldband@btinternet.com.
Space is also still available in the concert programme for anyone wishing to advertise. Costs are £60:00 full page and £30:00 half page. (full page approx A5 size) If you would like to put an advert in this years programme please contact Darrin Smith 01952 592836 or click here to email.
New Project - We are in need of a trombone well a bass trombone in-fact to replace
the 15 year old one which is 
coming to the end of its life. Now we have our eye
on one called an Edwards Bass Trombone, click here to see/read about Edward Trombones,
which we think will do the job nicely and last us another 15 years plus. The problem
is it cost £3,500.00 which we currently don't have and with the running costs currently
of the band make it a hard task to raise without taking out a loan which if at all
possible we would prefer not to do.
So we were wondering if there was anyone out there who maybe able to help either with a donation or a sponsorship to get us to this target.
For example if 140 people became patrons of the band we would be able to both buy the trombone and fulfill my dream of holding a patrons concert where we could of course show off our new instrument and say thank you for your support.
For further details on how you can help please call me on 01952 592836 or email at jackfieldband@btinternet.com.
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