FATE
Here is a page for all you fatalists, see what you think!
"SPONSORSHIP"
On hearing that the railways were to be privatised, I wrote to South West Trains to ask about sponsorship, they replied suggesting that I write back next year (1995) when the privatisation would become effective. I made a note in my diary and duly wrote back a year later, not really expecting the news to be any better.Much to my surprise, I was invited up to London to discuss the options of a full sponsorship deal. I boarded the train, complete with a double picture display board 4’x3’, a portfolio of the band’s history and a new uniform. The meeting was one of the briefest I have ever attended and to be honest, I thought that was it. A few weeks later, however, I was invited to a meeting to discuss the financial details etc. I was now beginning to think that it was in the bag.
Time passed and nothing. Eventually, I did hear the positive news that the sponsorship had been awarded, however, I was told a couple of years later that it had almost been thrown out.
Apparently, at the board meeting, the finance director said that, "as a sponsorship deal had been struck with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra why did the company need another music sponsorship". At this point, the Human Resources Director asked if he could be spared from the meeting to phone his brother, a bass trombone player in the Tredegar Town Band, to ascertain the credibility of the Woodfalls Band. A phone call later and the news came back to the meeting that the band was the finest on the South West Trains Network, and the deal was closed.
"CONDUCTORS" In the mid-seventies, when the band was competing in the British Open and also a regular contender at the Royal Albert Hall, it became necessary to advertise for a new Director of Music. An advert was placed in the British Bandsman and the committee eventually sat down to consider the CV’s of over thirty applicants.
One applicant was none other than Howard Snell (whom we had never heard of), I well remember the Secretary reading Howard’s CV – it took up most of the meeting time! It certainly was an impressive CV although to us philistines it would have been better had he said that he had won a local band contest or three – Principal Trumpet with the LSO just didn’t cut the mustard! The final nail in Howard’s coffin was his fee of £22 per rehearsal – at the time we were paying just £7 and the band did not have the money to pay more, so Howard was binned. Brass Banders will know that Howard went on to become one of the most prolific conductors of Brass Bands ever and his wealth of arrangements for bands are second to none. What a loss
to our band!On the other hand, perhaps the Brass Band movement owes the Woodfalls Band a dept of gratitude – we may have put Howard off Brass Bands forever and the movement would be the poorer for that!
If you know of anything in the band's history that might be included on this page, e-mail it to us, and we shall include it here.
Likewise, if you can correct any of the facts on this page, e-mail the details to us!