Chapel en le Frith Town Band

I am pleased to say that Chapel en le Frith Town Band has now been registered as a charity under registration number 1124525.

Here is the most recent photo of the band which was taken at the Regional Championships held in Bedworth. We caused the photographer some problems as we were apparently the largest band that he had photographed at the event!

Being a somewhat trendy and fashionable group of bods the Chapel en le Frith Town Band has set up a Group Page on “Facebook”. The idea of the page is simply to raise the awareness and profile of the band and allow members, both past and present to communicate and discuss issues affecting the band.

There are some crackin’ discussion topics running at the moment…including “Aidan’s favourite catchphrases”!!!

Aidan (our Musical Director) and David (our Bandmaster) are currently working hard to upload some of the very early photos of the band. If you want to see pictures of the band from the early 1900’s, through the war years to the very bad hairdo’s of the 1980s then check out the “band history” page…who knows, you may be there!

What did 4barsrest have to say about Chapel’s performance at Bedworth on Sunday?

“Chapel en le Frith, making a welcome return, produced an encouraging performance. There were some tuning and ensemble problems of course, but it was well directed and featured good individual performances from the solo trombone and baritone.”

Good stuff…but wasn’t the solo trombone and baritone the same person? Nudge nudge, wink wink.

Good luck to Chapel en le Frith Town Band for the forthcoming Midlands regional Championships on Sunday 9th March.

The last time the band appeared in the Midlands regional Championships was back in 2001 when they were in the 2nd Section.

Here is what the 4barsrest website has to say as a preview:-

“What a welcome return for Chapel-en-le-Frith after six years away from the contest.

Hopefully this weekend will be the start of an extended run of appearances and they will return on the back of a very encouraging 3rd place at the Derby contest.”

What more can I possibly add…go for it!

Chapel Town Band were awarded a very respectable 3rd place at the NEM Brass Band Contest on Sunday 10th February. Considering this was the first contest outing for many of the players…and the fact that we were by far the youngest band there…this is a pleasing result!

Aiden Howgate, the bands Musical Director said “This is a fantastic result and exactly what I wanted. The band have put in a lot of hard work in the weeks up to this contest but this is just one stage in the preparations for the Regional Championships in March. What was great is that the band actually gave their best performance on the contest stage, they really raised their game. What a gift.”

The band is now continuing to prepare for the Regional Championships to be held in Bedworth on the 9th March. the band will be playing the same test piece, “Four Cities Symphony”.

Well done everyone!

The Band is definitely back and looking better than ever. At present we are preparing for the Derby Contest on Sunday 10th February and then the Regional Championships in March.

General News:
The band has had another really good year and is getting stronger and stronger. We now have a total membership of 36.
A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes over the last month to investigate refurbishment of the bandroom. As many of you will know from your visits to the bandroom it is in a bit of a dilapidated state. The basic structure is sound but there are two holes in the floor and a few holes in the window frames. It has also been found that there is no insulation in the roof so the heat is escaping. It has been decided that the best thing would be to put insulation in the ceiling space and to clad the walls with new wood, putting insulation in the void between the inside and outside walls. We have applied for grants to help make this possible and are waiting to hear if they have been approved, but if we do receive the money we will need plenty of willing hands to help do the work and to paint the bandroom once the work is complete. A bit of a refurbishment of the inside would also be nice with notice boards for each band and new curtains to brighten the place up, so anyone with needlework skills would be gratefully received!
A first aid kit has been purchased for the bandroom and is located in the kitchen above the cooker. Georgina Rumbellow and Claire Spong are qualified first aiders should the need arise.
A fire risk assessment of the bandroom has been undertaken and has been passed with the addition of new fire extinguishers (located near the front door). Many thanks to Nigel Heniker for his help in this matter.

Committee News:
Officers appointed at the AGM were:
Chairman: Alan Gray
Secretary: Ave Spencer
President: Bob Mulholland
Vice President: Gordon Booth
Engagement Secretary: Claire Spong
Child Protection Officer: Georgina Rumbellow
Custodian of Instruments: Georgina Rumbellow
Junior Band Representative: Shane Carrington

Other committee members appointed were Neil Bennett, Tony Scattergood, Julie Carrington and Sue Watson.
Kath Goddard has recently had to resign as treasurer due to other commitments and we would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work over the past three years. Emma Hartle has agreed to take over this position.
We would like to express our great thanks to all the above for agreeing to take on these responsibilities and for all their good work since the AGM.

Senior Band News:
We would like to welcome David and Alan Gray, Tony, Paul, Claire and Poppy Scattergood to the band and express thanks to Emma Hartle, Gareth Holder, Neil Bennett and Dave Ford who have switched instruments for the benefit of the band. With these new and moved players we have almost a complete band but are still looking for experienced cornet players and an experienced euphonium player.

The band have undertaken several engagements in the community this year including the Chapel-en-le-Frith Well Blessing and Remembrance Sunday, and for the first time in many years took part in the town carnival, playing in the Memorial Park as floats arrived and for the crowning of the carnival queens, despite the inclement weather!
We are very pleased to receive the news that the University of Derby, Buxton has agreed to support the band. This, and the healthy numbers of players in the senior band, has enabled us to take the decision to enter the Regional Championships band contest for the first time since the band has been reformed. The Championships are due to be held in Bedworth in March 2008. The support from the University will enable us to afford a coach to take us there and the registration all players require to enter the contest. The music; ‘Four Cities Symphony’ by Rodney Newton, has been purchased and played through by the band and received a positive response from everyone. Many thanks to the University for their support.
A donation has been received from Stag Glass which will be used to purchase a set of tin mutes for the cornet section, which are needed for the contest, and a complete set of new hymn books for the band. Many thanks to Stag Glass for this donation.
We would like to thank Cressbrook, Tideswell and BT bands for their support and help when we have been short of players for engagements. With especial thanks to Darren Wood and Phil Whitehead.

SK23 News:
We would like to welcome Emma and Rebecca Gray to the SK23 Junior Band.
SK23 have undertaken several engagements again this year including a very hot afternoon at Buxworth school fete and a very successful concert ‘Brass & Bells’ joint with the Kinder Ringers which was very well received by the audience.
At the beginning of the school summer holidays we amalgamated the Brass Monkeys beginner group with the SK23 Junior Band and this has proven so successful that we have decided to make it a permanent arrangement. This means that SK23 now has 19 players, several of whom now play for the senior band as well.
We have purchased a ‘Slow, Children crossing’ sign which you may have seen on the driveway to the bandroom on Saturday mornings. This is in an effort to warn football club members that there may be children about around the bandroom when they arrive for matches and to drive carefully. Please drive with care when approaching the bandroom to drop off or pick up your children.
Georgina Rumbellow has agreed to become our Child Protection Officer and a Child Protection Policy has been written and adopted by the committee. A copy of this policy will be sent to each child’s parents/guardians for their reference.
Aidan would like to request that a parent/guardian always accompanies their child at lessons. This is to satisfy child protection procedures.
Shane Carrington has agreed to become Junior Band Representative on the committee and any suggestions or ideas juniors have for the committee should be referred to him and he will approach them.

Brass Monkeys News:
We are pleased to welcome Elif, Alexandra, Laura and Diane to the band as beginners. They are making great progress and hope to advance to SK23 soon.
Do you know of anyone who would like to try playing a brass instrument? Young or old, we welcome them to the band. Expert tuition and instruments are provided. Tell your friends and relatives, the more people we can encourage to learn to play the better!
For further details, contact Aidan on 01298 214459.

Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Band, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, is planning to enter the Midland Regional qualifying contest for the National Championship with the help of notes of the monetary kind from the University of Derby’s Devonshire Campus at Buxton.

Generous support

The Town Band will use a generous donation from the University
of Derby Buxton of £1,500 to support its endeavours in the coming 12 months, with the figure to be reviewed in future years.

The band will use some of the funding to support its Cool2playbrass educational initiative which has been introducing brass playing to youngsters in the High Peak over the past two years, and also to renovate its band room.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to support the Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Band during this period of growth and development”

~ Professor David Gray, Dean of the University of Derby Buxton

Regional Championships

Funding will also be used to enable the band to attend the Midlands Regional Championship competition in the Fourth Section in March 2008,in Bedworth. It will be the first time the band has entered the competition since 2003 when it was in the Second section.

Band Conductor Aidan Howgate told 4BR: “We are really pleased that the band will once again be able to enter the regional competition. In the past the band has had a great deal of success qualifying regularly for the finals in various sections.”

Partnership
Professor David Gray, Dean of the University of Derby Buxton, said: “The University of Derby in Buxton is a community university and is proud of its ongoing partnership with the communities of Buxton and the High Peak.”

He added: “We are very excited about the opportunity to support the Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Band during this period of growth and development. The band has a very similar mission to our own and that is to offer educational opportunities to the people of the High Peak, and to help people in identifying and reaching their untapped potential.”

Reviving band
After a period in the doldrums, the band is reviving and last Saturday December 1 celebrated its 125th anniversary in a concert at the Methodist Church in Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Brass Monkeys

The concert featured its junior band of 21 players, which is called SK23 – after the town’s postcode. There is also a beginners group called Brass Monkeys. The bands were given a warm reception by an enthusiastic audience.

The youngest member, seven-year-old Christian Boon, blew out the candles on the 125th anniversary cake and awards were presented for achievement during the year.