News

    Our own Amanda Deeks, tenor horn, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's
    New Year's Honours List. Amanda will receive her medal at Buckingham Palace
    later this year for her success as chief executive of South Gloucestershire
    Council. Well done Amanda, we are proud of you!

Mitcheldean Village Hall, Christmas Entertainment, Thursday 17th December 2009

Saturday 29th - photos courtesy Chris Winter, National Press Photographer

This was our first contest rehearsed and conducted by Musical Director Jack Smith, taking place just 26 days after his appointment. We are delighted that of the four bands entered in the Open Section, Forest of Dean Brass were awarded 2nd place, missing the top prize by one point only. This section was judged on deportment and presentation as well as musical content. These are excerpts from Musical Adjudicator Gareth Pritchard's 'remarks':

Belle of the Ball - Confident start. Nice touch from Glock. A good start overall.

The Shepherd's Song - Nice start and vibes are heard clearly. Solo cornet had a nice sound and shapes the phrases nicely.
This is good controlled (and in time!) playing. Well done and the control at the end was excellent.

The Wind Beneath my Wings - Good opening and well in tune. Effective muted cornets and Glock. Well balanced and
thoughtful accompaniment. This has been really nice to listen to. Thank you.

Let's Face the Music and Dance - Solid start and good mood change. Effective percussion (as there has been throughout
the programme). You deal with tempo changes well. Playing always controlled and comes to a good end.

Members of the band in relaxed mood after receiving a certificate and
cheque from the Event Organiser.

Harvest Auction & Supper, Yorkley Village Hall

The evening commenced with a Harvest Thanksgiving by Rev. Philippa Brunt and two harvest hymns played by members of the Band. At least 70 people attended, raising much appreciated funds. The band would like to thank Yorkley Village Hall Fundraising Committee for providing generous donations, the venue, supper and the harvest loaf!

Roger Stratford Auctioneer (above) did his usual stuff with the help of Tim Hodder (Relief Auctioneer - thank goodness!) and Paul Berrow. Young George Stratford spent the evening running around the hall delivering goods and collecting cash - thank you George!

Monday 31st August 2009

Annual fund-raising exercise at Parkend Carnival. Manning the burgers and hot dog stand!

Welland Steam Rally. Another enjoyable weekend at Welland. Thanks to our visiting conductor Clive Lewis.

Yorkley Festival 'Proms in the Park'. The event took place in Yorkley Village Hall due to poor weather. However all those who had booked tables turned up and the hall was packed. A very noisy audience was appreciative and interactive!

As part of Lydney Festival Forest of Dean Brass played at the docks while visiting boats left the harbour at high tide via the lock gate. Various sea songs were played including 'Sailing' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.

Coleford - 'Freedom of the Forest' for 1st Battalion The Rifles of Beachley. We were honoured to be asked to lead the veterans march on National Armed Forces Day. Later on the band played at the Angus Buchanan Recreation Ground, Coleford. Click on this link to see a video taken by The Forester. We are just after the halfway point.

The band took part in a fundraising event for the James Hopkins Trust - 'Music in the Garden' at Old Park Gardens, Taurus Crafts, Lydney.

South West Regional Championships, Torquay. The band's rendition of New World Sketches by Daniel Price was praised by the judges for high quality euphonium and other solos.

2008 was a good year for the band, with many successful events and effective fund-raising, putting the band in a very strong position.

Carols Evening, Yorkley Village Hall - the band was well received and enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine with the audience. Band members pictured below, with Yorkley Village Hall committee members at the rear.

Christmas Concert, Lydney Town Hall with Dick Brice and Wyedean School Gospel Singers - sell-out!

Forest of Dean Brass staged their annual Christmas concert at Lydney Town Hall on Sunday 14th December, supported by Dick Brice ‘The Voice of the Forest’ and also by Wyedean School Gospel Choir. The hall was almost full by 20 minutes before scheduled start time, with queues along the road. A varied programme of music was presented, with solos by band members Bekki Berrow (flugel), Lyndon Cole (trombone) and Mervyn Porter (euphonium).

Ably conducted by 18-year-old Cody Bridges, the Gospel Choir gave an enthusiastic and polished performance including ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Oh Happy Day’.

Dick Brice was his usual irrepressible self and regaled us with jokes, stories and songs including his own composition 'The Land Between Two Rivers'.

Christmas doesn't get more traditional than this, a brass band playing carols in a festive grotto. Except the Forest of Dean Brass and are playing in a giant cavern 100ft underground. Members of the band braved the cold to make sure the opening weekend got off to a tuneful start.

"There's something really Christmassy about a brass band," said Jonathan Wright who runs the mines. "We're really pleased they could come because they're part of the Forest's mining heritage."

Concert in Newport, once again a great success, playing a variety of pieces such as My Favourite Things, Hungarian Dance No.5, Oklahoma, Basin Street Blues and Colonel Bogey. We had a trombone solo from Lyndon Cole I'm Getting Sentimental Over You, a cornet solo from Craig Georgia on my Mind, a duet with euphonium and trombone from Ben Stratford and Francis Ruck To All The Girls I've Loved Before, and a beautiful flugelhorn solo Misty from Bekki Berrow (Click to see an excerpt of Bekki's solo on YouTube.)

While on holiday in the USA both Bekki Berrow and Mark McCullagh personally visited Mitchel Banks' shop in Florida to pick up their new Getzen instruments - cornet for Mark and flugelhorn for Bekki.

On stage outdoors on Yorkley Recreation Ground for well over an hour on the evening of Saturday 30th August at the first Yorkley Festival.

Warmly welcomed by an audience of around 300, the band performed a variety of light music and ending with a grand 'last night of the Proms' finale, to much cheering and flag waving, and calls for an encore.

'Bands in the Park' on Sunday 10th August 2008 at Sanders Park, Bromsgrove. A slightly drizzly but warm day with a large and appreciative audience.

It was sunny and hot for the band's annual 2-day engagement at Welland Steam Rally ( www.wellandsteamrally.co.uk), near Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire. Indeed it was so hot that a band member brought her gazebo to the event to provide cover for at least some of the band! However Jackie Gwynne (conductor), Paul Berrow (percussion) and the back row of the cornets were still exposed - it was reported that temperatures reached 30°C on the Sunday!

'Bands in the Park' on Sunday 13th July 2008. A lovely summer day by the river at Ross-on-Wye.

'Brass in the Park' at Lydney on Sunday 29th June 2008. The band performed on the bandstand at Bathurst Park, by invitation of 2008 Lydney Festival. These photographs were amongst many taken on the day by Dr Sharma and published at http://www.lydney.org.uk/

The band presented a summer concert entitled 'Stage and Screen' at College Theatre, Five Acres, on Saturday 7th June 2008. We were delighted to be joined by the Forest of Dean Youth Choir who gave an excellent performance.

Our Annual Dinner Dance & Awards took place at the Chepstow Hotel on Saturday 31st May 2008. Here is a selection of photos from the event.

The band took part in the Weston-super-Mare 40th Annual Brass Band Contest at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, and won First Prize in the Second Section - the Bailey Trophy - and a cheque for £150. Mervyn Porter received the Fred Trego Memorial Trophy for Best Euphonium. The result is a welcome boost to band morale as well as band funds, in advance of a busy summer season of events. See review by 'theMouthPiece.com' below.

'theMouthPiece.com' wrote a review of all band performances and published them on their website immediately afterwards. The following is their review of the Forest of Dean Brass performance:

"Very precise opening, though some of the tuning suffers shortly after 14. Lovely through 31 to 88 with some gorgeous playing from everyone. The standard of 2nd section this year is very high indeed. Lovely flug solo after 146, slight blip, but recover well.

The start at 157 is magical, excellent control on cornet line, and the band continues with this control into 202. Troms a little messy at 211, but Solo Ct is excellent - what a wonderful tone you have, Euph too! Solo Ct solo at 225 - par excellence...

In fact, the performance improves as we move forward, this is very impressive playing of the highest order. Overall - once again... this is stunning playing and I have to say the 2nd section this year is classy indeed. Your Principal Cornet is a class player and shows effortless presentation, thanks for a wonderful performance."

Results of the Weston-super-Mare 40th Annual Brass Band Contest on Sunday 18th May were very late being announced so just a few band members were present including Chair Person Bekki Berrow who was happy to receive formal presentation of the trophy for First Prize. Mervyn Porter received the Special Award for Best Euphonium.

It was a profitable visit to Bugle, Cornwall, for young Parkend bander Ben Stratford, 13, when he came away with four trophies for his baritone playing. At the Bugle Festival of Music and Drama Ben picked up awards for the under-15 slow melody, the under-18 slow melody, the open Aire Varie and under-18 best player.

Ben plays for Parkend Silver Band and Forest of Dean Brass, and he has performed with the Gloucestershire Youth Brass Band and Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. "We are all very proud of him," said mum Sharon Stratford.

At the West of England Area contest of the National Brass Band Championships in Torquay on 8th March, the band achieved a creditable sixth place out of 12 participating bands in the second section. The set piece was Three Part Invention by Kenneth Downie. We were drawn number one and played on stage in The Forum at 10.00 a.m.! The band would especially like to thank players who helped out on the day, John Butson on soprano, once again travelling from Spain to be with us, Mark Knight and Emily Pearman on cornet, Tom Law-Deeks on percussion (timps) and Les Thomas on BBb Bass.

2008 was a big year for at least two band members - Carole Newman was 40 on 18th February, and Russell Morse was 80 years old on 14th February, Valentine's Day!

Frankie Ruck celebrated his 18th on 5th September - no photographs available (perhaps just as well!)

Laura Wintle held a party at Xerox Social Club for her 40th on 7th September. Dave Wintle and Mervyn Porter also celebrated significant birthdays.

BLOW me ... brass banding is in Russell Morse's blood and it must be good for you. He's still going strong at 80! the well known Forest bandsman followed in the family tradition when he joined the famed Yorkley Onward at the age of just eight. His grandfather had been a founder member in 1903 and he was taken to his first rehearsal by his father Jack who was also a player.

Russell enjoyed 58 years as a player with Yorkley Onward in the days when they swept all before them in the brass band world. He decided to retire when the Onward amalgamated with Coleford Town Band in 1994, to become Forest of Dean Brass.

Five years ago, aged 75 Russell was persuaded out of retirement - and has never looked back. Band members turned out in force to help Russell celebrate his 80th birthday with a surprise party last Thursday.

Under musical director Jackie Gwynne - another former Yorkley Onward player - Forest Brass players are now hard at work rehearsing for the Area Championships in Torquay in March."

Russell Morse ... 80 years young and still blowing!

Carole celebrated her 40th birthday on 18th February 2008 with an evening dinner for family and banding friends. But she had a surprise on Saturday evening 23rd February when she appeared at Viney Hill Social Club for what she believed was a Robbie Williams tribute concert, and walked into a surprise 40th birthday party! Carole's family and friends had booked the venue, arranged a disco and karaoke, pinned up lots of photos of Carole at various ages, and provided a wonderful buffet.

Our first social and fundraising event of the year was a skittles evening at Parkend Club. The sum of £70 was raised for band funds.

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