Snowdown band competed in the contest at the Leas Cliffe Hall, Folkestone today.Music played: Hymn: Nearer my God… Test: Resurgum The band played to the best of their ability and obtained an equal 6th place with Thundersley Brass for the hymn but unfortunately only managed 14th for the test piece. Hard luck band, better luck next time!
5th at Brighton
The band competed in the 2002 Brighton and Hovecontest this weekend and played: The Cossack (March) and The Moorside Suite. Contest results can be found at the SCABA Website pages. The band managed an impressive 4th for the March and a 5th for the test piece. An improvement on the Folkestone contest results in October 2001. Well done to the band!
New Arrival
Congratulations to Joanne and Jon Gunne on the birth of thier daughter Katie. Born on or around the 5/6th December.
Player Shuffle
The conducter has shuffled some of the players of the band to new positions, to bolster sections and boost individual confidence levels. Richard moves from Euphonium to 1st Baritone. Gordon moves from Soprano to Euphonium. Wendy moves from 1st Cornet to Flugal and John moves from Flugal to Solo Horn.
Folkestone Contest
The band played in the contest at Folkestone on the 13th. We were drawn 7th and played at 12:00. The band played well and attained a 8th place in the 3rd Section competition. The other competitors were, in order of play: 1st KM Gillingham Band 2nd Charles Church Camberly 3rd Fulham Brass 4th Sandhurst Silver 5th Cobham 6th Halesmere Town 7th Snowdown Colliery Welfare Band 8th Mid Sussex Brass 9th Shanklin Town 10th Amersham 11th Yiewsley and West Drayton The adjudicator was Mr. S.Sykes. Official contest results should be available on the SCABA web site.
Broadstairs Bandstand
Dispite the wet weather, the band played at Broadstairs between 2:30 and 3:30pm on the 26th. The audience braved the weather and sat under umbrellas for best part of the performance. Special thanks go to Guest Conductor Joe Chester and guest players Nevil, David and Fiona (Cornet), Deborah Hazell (Baritone) and Claire Varley (Euphonium)
Band in Full Swing
BIG band sounds reverberated across the Leas at the weekend during a concert on the bandstand. The Folkestone open-air venue played host to the Snowdown Colliery Welfare Band. And while they entertained the crowds; volunteers from the British Heart Foundation made a collection to celebrate the charities 40th anniversary. The final total was just under £40.
Bold as Brass in Smart New Band Jackets
The music is as good as ever and Snowdown Colliery Welfare Brass Band members now look extra smart in new jackets. For years they were dressed in blue but now they are going for a fresh more comfortable look. Their “Officers Mess”-type outfits are cut slightly longer than waist coats. They are mainly black with blue on the lapels and around the cuffs. There is gold braid around the cuffs and collar. The band bought 25 uniforms, costing a total of £4,137, from a specialist firm in Leeds, R J Handley, which made jackets for the film “Brassed Off”. Help came from Dover District Council”s Single Regeneration Budget funding via the Community Chest which gave £2,068 towards the jackets. Help with the coats was very important. We would have eventually afforded them, but certainly not this soon and perhaps not of this high quality. We are very grateful. Treasurer and cornet player Suzy Tigwell The jackets have transformed the appearance of the band, boosted our confidence and made us more professional. Band Chairman Andrew Woodward The band, formed in 1929 entirely of miners from Snowdown Colliery, plays at about 30 events a year, mainly in East Kent, raising money for good causes. Two weeks ago it raised £200 at a concert in Minster for the Pilgrims Hospice. Members mainly come from Dover, Deal and Canturbury but others travel from long distances in Kent. They are from all walks of life. Youngest is 10 and the oldest, 69-year-old Stan Partner, of… Read more“Bold as Brass in Smart New Band Jackets”