MONTHLY NEWS

DR. NICHOLAS CHILDS FOR TORQUAY

The South West Trains Woodfalls Band believes that it has pulled off a major coup to engage the services of Dr. Nicholas Childs (MD - Black Dyke Band) to conduct it at the Regional Contest in Torquay on Sunday 11th March 2007. 

This latest appointment follows on from the recent engagement of Melvin White as its Musical Director. The band is optimistic now that with the combined talents of these outstanding conductors we shall see the band moving forward in 2007.

Dr. Childs recently made a two-day visit to Woodfalls to meet the band and to do the early preparation on the set work, Isaiah 40 by Robert Redhead.   The band last played Isaiah 40 under Melvin's baton at the Royal Albert Hall in 1998.

SALISBURY FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE Plans are well advanced for the forthcoming concert in Salisbury City Hall on Friday 10^th November.  The guest star will be the legendary Kenny Ball performing some of his many hits including "Midnight in Moscow". Also on the bill will be Rosemary Squires and the Brian Dee Trio. The Royal British Legion will be providing the Procession of Standard Bearers and the concert will end with a Service of Remembrance to the fallen with the playing of Last Post and Reveille. Tickets can be purchased from the City Hall box office by calling 01722-434434. They are priced at £10 and £12 conc. available!

TO LET – OFFICE SPACE  Last month I told you that we are letting some rooms in the upstairs part of the band hall for Offices or storage. There has been a lot of interest in this proposal so here are the dimensions of the available rooms. Room 1) 28’ X 13’ Room 2) 20’ X 10’ In addition, there is a separate kitchen & W.C. with shower. The 4 rooms are in a self-contained space with private access and plenty of parking. They are well presented and carpeted. The band hall is not used during the day so no extraneous noises.

LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS

Tickets are now on sale at the box office 01722321744 modestly priced at just £10 with a £2 concession for senior citizens. Book early as there are only 250 seats available! The concert is on Sunday 8^th October 2006. Please note the new start time of 5.00p.m. Don’t forget to bring your Union flags and hats otherwise we’ll have to sell you one.

NEW MUSICAL DIRECTORWe are delighted to inform you that Melvin White, our Musical Director 1994 – 1998 has agreed to become our MD for the second time and the above concert will be his first local appearance. The band would like to thank Dave Barringer for his time with the band but, because of Dave’s army commitments, it was felt that we should seek an MD who could provide 100% attendance throughout the year.

OFFICE SPACE TO LETWe are considering letting some rooms in the upstairs part of the band hall for Offices or storage space and would be interested to hear from any interested clients.

WEDDING BELLS

I usually write to tell you how the band is preparing for this contest or that concert but this month it is my pleasure to tell you of a romance that has been blossoming within the band. It took some time to come to fruition but at last two Woodfalls players Paul Williams and Liz Sawyer have tied the knot.

Paul, from Bournemouth, joined the band on percussion just before leaving to study composition and percussion at the Royal Northern College of Music for 4 years. On completion of his studies, Paul immediately returned to the band where he has been Principal percussionist for the last 10 years. Soon after Paul’s return, Brighton girl, Liz Sawyer was studying Art in Bournemouth when she decided to come along for a blow at Woodfalls where she met Paul. The wedding took place at Highcliffe Castle, Christchurch where the weather and setting were glorious. The band provided the music. You can see some wedding pictures on the band website www.woodfallsband.com/ Just room now for a couple of cliches….If music be the food of love, play on! and ….May the duet be as sweet as the solo!

Congratulations to Paul and Liz from all of us in the band.

NEXT CONCERT – Tickets for our next concert, "Last night of the Proms" at the Salisbury Arts Centre, go on sale on 26^th August. Book early as there are only 250 available! The date for your diary is Sunday 8^th October 2006. Please note the new start time of 5.00p.m. and don’t forget to bring your Union-Jack flags and hats etc. Tickets are just £10. £8 Conc. so call the box office now on 01722321744

WHEN DID YOU LAST LOG-ON?

Most people now have access to the Internet either directly or through a friend or family member, but when did you, if ever, log-on to the South West Trains Woodfalls Band website? Over the last 7 or 8 years I have been busy, firstly teaching myself how to, but secondly building what has become a website of historical band records and pictures through the ages. Indeed, the first band picture is from 1880 – just 6 years after the band was founded! I would imagine that almost every person that has lived in Woodfalls for more than 5 minutes is related to someone that has played in the band. Perhaps you have a box of old pictures in the loft that Great Uncle Fred collected. If so, have a rummage through the family archives and see if we have all of your band pictures on our website, if we don’t, please get in touch because we want to copy everything before it is lost forever. Our website is www.woodfallsband.com Finally on this subject, I have just loaded some new pages called STALWARTS which can be found on the PERSONNEL page. The stalwarts are people that have given unstinting time and energy to the band over and above that which could be expected of any mere mortal. Those featured so far are Bob Morris, Cliff Kingshott and Ron Bligh but there will be others soon including Nora Shelley etc. so please log-on to keep up-to-date with all the latest and the oldest news.

NEXT CONCERT - Hot news of our first concert in the newly refurbished Salisbury Arts Centre. We last performed a concert there in 1974 to celebrate the band’s centenary. That was when the plaster was falling from the ceiling but you should see it now! The concert theme will be "Last Night of the Proms" with all your favourites including Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem and Fantasia on British Sea Songs etc. The date for your diary is Sunday 8^th October 2006. We think you will also enjoy the new start time of 5.00p.m. – you’ll be home fore Coronation Street! Tickets are just £10. £8 Conc. so call the box office now on 01722321744

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PICNIC TIME

One of the recent innovations of the popular music scene is the outdoor picnic concert. They have become a regular fixture in the concert diary for those of us that just like to enjoy the popular classics whilst sat around with a few friends sharing a bottle of wine and a picnic. For many years it has been suggested that the band should put on its own concert but the organisation involved would be massive to the point where we have resisted the proposal. It now appears that we can resist no longer as The Downton Festival, in association with Downton School (Trafalgar School), have promised to do the hard work for us and all we have to do is what we do best – turn up and play. So, our first ‘Classical Pops’ outdoor concert will take place within the Trafalgar School grounds on the evening of Friday 14^th July. They are hoping for an audience of around 600 but you won’t have to feed them all, just pack enough for you and a few friends and come along, we’ll provide the tunes that you know and love like Jerusalem, William Tell and Land of Hope and Glory etc. etc.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Tickets are now on sale for our two City Hall promotions.

O’ Glorious Christmas takes place on Friday 22^nd December, in which our guests will be Salvacosta so named because the 30 strong singing group is made up of the very best Salvation Army singers from across the South Cost. They will be performing cross over music from show tunes to gospel with some Christmas tunes for good measure. The Royal British Legion and Age Concern respectively will benefit from the above two concerts so book your tickets early.

15 May 06 - MONTHLY NEWS back to top

Since we last talked the band has been busy on the concert platform with two high profile events for the Salvation Army. The first was at Winchester to raise funds for their building project and the second was at Boscombe for the wife of our Solo Euphonium player, Joy Lawrence. Joy recently ran the London Marathon and her chosen charity was the "Round Table Children's Wish". The concert raised over £1500 for the charity that aims to make wishes come true for sick children.

We return to the contest stage later this month on 28^th May when we shall be playing Philip Whilby’s demanding Paganini Variations at the International English Masters in Cambridge.

Sad news is emerging from the Junior Band in that its conductor, Lawrence Butchart is retiring. Lawrence has been wearing many hats of late, that of euphonium player in our band, conductor of the Juniors and also conducting other bands in the area. I understand that, due to rehearsal clashes, Lawrence’s efforts will now be entirely focused on conducting other bands. So, in thanking Lawrence for his tireless work over the years, we must now seek his successor. Do you have the skills or do you know someone that might be interested? There are 25 young players all ready and hoping for your call.

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Great expectations that sadly became Loves Labours Lost as both our bands failed to qualify for the Finals with SWT coming fourth in the top section whilst the Concert Brass finished well down in the first section. There were, however, good reports to savour, not least for Mark Pye and Woodfalls old-boy James Cooper. They both received lavish praise for their outstanding performances in the championship section at Torquay by the internet brass band site, 4barsrest.com About Mark Pye of SWT Woodfalls Malcolm Wood wrote…"a soprano player that stood out for us as one of the best of the day" and about James Cooper of Bournemouth Concert Brass he wrote…" the soprano was fabulous throughout"

Next Concert - FRI. 12 May … Boscombe Salvation Army Church, Palmerston Rd, Boscombe. Tel: 01202567921 for tickets.

14 March 06  -   MONTHLY NEWS back to top

GREAT EXPECTATIONS …..As I write this (12 March) we, SWT Woodfalls and Woodfalls Concert Brass are just one week away from the biggest contest of the year – the West of England qualifying contest for the National Finals. If we come first or second we will receive an invitation to the Finals. Woodfalls Concert Brass will be playing in the first section on Saturday 18^th with SWT Woodfalls playing in the top section on Sunday 19^th. It is rumoured that both bands are playing very well and both have a good chance of qualification. Obviously, when you read this it will be all over but for the sore heads from too much celebrating or depression from another missed opportunity – let’s hope it’s the former!

11 February 06 -  MONTHLY NEWS back to top

GOOD NEWS - Advance news of the band’s remembrance concert is that we have managed to secure the services of jazz trumpet legend, Kenny Ball as our special guest. It will be some months before tickets go on sale but we can predict that when they do, they will sell like hot cakes. Make a date, Friday 10^th November 2006.

e-mail: brian@easterbrook14.freeserve.co.uk

15 January 06 -  MONTHLY NEWS back to top

The band momentum now shifts up a gear as we approach the spring contests - Yeovil Entertainment in February and the regional at Torquay in March. It will be difficult to improve on the 2^nd place that we got at Yeovil last year as this was our highest ever finish at this particular discipline, however, 6^th at Torquay last year shouldn’t be too difficult to improve on, especially as we shall be working once again with Garry Cutt. Garry took the band at the same contest in 2002 and that was the last time we won the coveted West of England title. Ask any magician and you will be told that it is hard enough doing a trick once but even harder doing it for a second time – we shall need more than a little magic but lets hope that Garry brings his wand to do his particular trick with us for a second time and help us to win the title for what would be only the 4^th time in the band’s long history. Garry had, until recently, been Musical Director of the famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band – he is now MD of the equally famous Fodens Richardson band. Garry’s first rehearsals are on 18/19 February – give me a call if you would like to listen.

02 December  05 -  MONTHLY NEWS back to top

On Saturday 26^th November the majority of The South West Trains Woodfalls Band made the 10 hour coach journey to Glasgow to compete for the first time in the Scottish Open – the other members opted to take the plane. The coach journey got off to a faltering start when, just as we were loaded and ready for the off, the coach door suffered a malfunction and we spent the next 45 minutes (at 7.00a.m.) trying to close the door. That said, the return journey was full of laughter as the ring pulls on tins of celebratory beer were being fizzed – yes, our boys (and girls) ‘done good’! It was not first place, which would have been too much to hope for, but third at this contest was nothing short of fantastic. However, by 2.00 a.m. on the return journey, the ring pulls fell silent and the band fell into slumber, not arriving back in Woodfalls until 5.00a.m. on Monday morning.

The contest was an own choice event whereby each band decides which test piece to play – very interesting for the audience but a dilemma for the band! The test piece selection adds another dimension to the difficulty of winning a contest – should we play an easy piece really well or would we be rewarded for playing a hard piece not so well?

The opposition at the contest was extremely tough. All the top Scottish bands were present along with many top bands from England. It could be argued that this achievement ranks alongside our fourth place at the All England Masters in 2004 when we were conducted by Steve Bastable – the only cloud on the silver lining was that Steve came second with his latest band, Kirkintilloch – congratulations to him! The contest was won by Fishburn from the north of England.

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On Friday 11^th November the Woodfalls and Downton Bands shared the stage at the City Hall as part of our Festival of Remembrance to commemorate what was probably a unique eventuality, that of two village bands which 60 years ago amalgamated to form a Homeguard Band.

The concert, which also featured Rosemary Squires and Bill Pertwee, was a great success and we were especially pleased to welcome four members from that original Homeguard Band, they were Don Moody, Don Chandler, Alan Spreadbury and Jack House. Pictures were taken and each member was given a complimentary CD (if you would like to purchase one for Christmas they are on sale at the Woodfalls Post Office). During the course of the evening, the idea was muted that it would be fitting for each band to commemorate the bandsmen who had paid the ultimate price with a special dedication and plaque in the two band halls. We would ask, therefore, if you can give us any information or contacts so that we might carry out research to establish the identity of the fallen bandsmen.

On a more cheerful note, the Christmas season will soon be upon us so I’ll take this opportunity to tell you of our concerts. We are in the City Hall on Thursday 22^nd December with special guests, Salisbury Community Choir for our traditional "O’ Glorious Christmas" but before that you can see us at the Redlynch Club, which will be open to non-members, on Sunday 18^th December!

11 October 05 - MONTHLY NEWS back to top

Away from the concert scene, the band is busy rehearsing for a trip to Glasgow. It has been invited to attend the Scottish Open Brass Band Championships and so, on Saturday 26^th November, the band will be making the 10hour journey to Scotland for the contest on 27^th. It will be a very late night or early morning before we get home. It is an own choice contest where each band decides which test-piece it wants to play and Woodfalls has elected to play the new blockbuster from Philip Sparke – Music of the Spheres. It is a massive challenge for our band and if it comes off we hope to do well, If? "May the force be with us"

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SALISBURY FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE

On Friday 11^th November the newly named Salisbury Festival of Remembrance (it was formerly called "We Will Remember Them") welcomes as its guest for the evening, Bill Pertwee alias ARP Warden Hodges from Dad’s Army fame.

Bill has agreed to come along to our Festival and recall some of his favourite anecdotes from the making of the masterpiece of sixties British Humour that so epitomised the efforts of those whose homeland services could not be spared to fight a war on foreign soil. Theirs was the task of protecting the home-front and indeed, due to the enlisting of many of our bandsmen, Downton and Woodfalls Bands joined forces to form their very own homeguard Band – I have heard it said that the amalgamated band was renamed the DownFall Band but that has not been substantiated!

This is the fifth remembrance concert that the South West Trains Woodfalls Band, in association with the Royal British Legion, has promoted and it has already become a tradition for the singing of We’ll Meet Again and White Cliffs of Dover which will be delivered with consummate ease by the ageless professionalism of Rosemary Squires, ably accompanied by the sublime pianist, Brian Dee and his trio.

The evening would not be complete without the Service of Remembrance where we pay homage to the fallen with the singing of hymns, the Exhortation, Last Post and Reveille.

Tickets can be purchased from the City Hall box office on 01722-434434. They are priced at £12 & £10 with concessions and children’s tickets at just £3

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At the invitation of David Morris, former band member and head of Node Hill School, South West Trains Woodfalls Band took a trip across the Solent to give a concert and masterclass for the two fledgling school bands that David has started on the Isle of Wight. On Saturday 23rd July the band performed a concert at the Medina Theatre where a large audience was delighted by a varied and complex programme. Highlights included a beautifully crafted performance of "Demelza" by soprano soloist Mark Pye and a technically sound rendition of Shostakovich's "Festive Overture" - the Isle of Wight audience lapped it up! Node Hill School Bands also took to the stage opening the second half with three items, 'Pomp and Pageantry March', 'Rat-a-tat' and 'La Bamba'. The youngsters aged between 9 and 13 were thrilled to share the stage with SWT Woodfalls!

Sunday morning saw an early start for all with a sectional masterclass given by SWT Woodfalls players and their conductor David Barringer. Preparations for Node Hill’s first contest venture later this year were given an enormous boost by the time and care shown by the band members who all gave their time freely to coach the youngsters.

"It was a busy but very rewarding weekend for all concerned but the youngsters from Node Hill School really enjoyed the professional experience which was kindly sponsored by South West Trains. For some of the older members of Woodfalls Band it was particularly satisfying to see David passing on the skills which he was taught at Woodfalls in the sixties. His father, Bob Morris, would have been so proud, not to mention his cornet tutor, Cliff Kingshott.

11 JULY 05 - MONTHLY NEWS back to top

Last month, the band embarked on its 4^th tour of Switzerland. We performed at 4 Gala Concerts as well as a couple of outdoor events. We had "breakfast with the Cows" which was a unique opportunity to enjoy some homegrown produce before receiving an informal lecture about the life of a farmer - I think the message was ….be grateful for the life that you have, don’t always seek more for less and be prepared to pay a little extra for your produce and trust the farmer to convert that into a better quality of life for his livestock. Who could argue with that?

The tour took the band to all corners of the country where we met up with old friends and made some new ones along the way. The last couple of days were spent in a ski lodge where we enjoyed complete seclusion and wide-open spaces. We enjoyed good food and drink and even a five-a-side football match. For a full report read below.

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For pictures click GO

Friday 10th June

At 8.00p.m. (make that 8.15 because we couldn’t find the solo horn music) the Swiss Band sat down to rehearse its programme of music with tour conductor and organiser, Christopher Joynes who had flown in especially from Switzerland for the rehearsal. The tour band was made up of 15 current players, 4 ex-players including Martin Prince on Flugel and Chris Lewis on Principal Cornet and 7 guests, including Marcus Rhyner a native of Switzerland on BBb Bass and none other than Michael Dodd, solo euphonium of Grimethorpe Colliery as featured soloist. Chantal Pye switched from Flugel to Solo Horn and did an excellent job of leading the horn section.

Chris Joynes managed to run through most of the selected programme of music and it was soon apparent that the band would be able to perform the pieces to a reasonable standard that would improve as it played together throughout the week.The rehearsal finished at 10.15 and most people made their way home for a few hours sleep before the 5.30a.m. start, however, home was too far away for a lot of people and so we decided to have a sleep-over in the band hall. A few beers in the club would aid our sleep but unfortunately the beer was just an apéritif for an Indian Curry, yes, Woodfalls does have a curry house! I think it was about 2.30a.m. before we all got to sleep – what joy!

Saturday 11^th June - Depart Woodfalls @ 5.30a.m.

The Buddens coach arrived at the band hall at 4.45 a.m. and the beer-sodden sleepover group were shaken into life. Others soon arrived and we met the drivers Shaun and Nigel. These two guys swung into action and became the best drivers the band has ever had the pleasure of working with. Throughout the week, they did everything possible to make our tour a success including loading all the instruments after every concert so the band could get a beer.

Needless to say the coach made good time and we were soon on the ferry to Calais. We were heading for our first stop, The Hilton, Strasbourg. This was to be a great treat for all the bandsmen, never before had any of us enjoyed the luxury of a 5 star hotel and this stop-over was made possible by a deal that Chris had managed to strike for us. Beers were £5 in the hotel but we soon managed to find an Irish bar and the partying began.

Sunday 12^th June

The band left the Hilton and set off for Lantsch – home of our first host band. The Uniaun da Musica Lantsch, was a band that we had stayed with on the 2003 tour and so we knew that we were in for a good time and we couldn’t wait for the reunion with old friends. We arrived in time for an afternoon rehearsal and the band was to meet up with Marcus Rhyner a BBb Bass player from Switzerland and also Michael Dodd, who had flown into Zurich that morning after being featured in a 35 minute solo in a concert in Durham with Elgar Howarth. This was our first meeting with Michael – what a player!

After the rehearsal we were introduced to our host families, some for the first time but others were renewing old friendships. Last time in Lantsch, some of us stayed in a ski lodge but this time we were all with families and as the people are so friendly this is by far the better option.

The concert was a great success and the large audience demanded several encores. We had managed to play like a band that knew each other rather than the band that had rather too many guests and it all went well. Michael Dodd was a revelation – even if we sometimes did have a job keeping up with him!

After the concert the beers flowed and we all knew from that moment the tour was going to work. My roommate and I, Ken Worgan, our 82 year-old Band President, left slightly early and managed to get lost but eventually we both arrived at our host’s house, ready for a good sleep after our mountain walk.

Monday 13^th June

Sunrise and the itinerary read …"breakfast with the cows". What was this going to be ….an alfresco breakfast or breakfast on the mountain – nobody knew! We were then given directions to the nearest farm and we all looked at each other as we were led through the dairy past the cows to an attic room where our questions were answered by a feast of homemade or locally grown produce set out before us. After the feast, Martin the farmer gave us a slideshow talk about his farm and the ecological decisions that he makes on a daily basis. Martin is a keen cyclist and is much traveled. He showed us some of his holiday slides that compared our affluent life styles to those of the Ethiopian farmers that he has visited on his bike.

I think the message that Martin was trying to convey is ….be grateful for the life that you have, don’t always seek more for less and be prepared to pay a little extra for your produce and trust the farmer to convert that into a better quality of life for his livestock. Who could argue with that?

Monday afternoon and we were driven to Chur for sightseeing and a mini-outdoor concert. The weather was cloudy and showery but it stayed fine for our concert. One local guy donated £100 to the band funds so after selling a few of our latest CD, "On Track" the concert was well worth doing.

Monday evening and after a delicious meal with our hosts we were invited to attend a social evening with "Swiss Patrick" at the Restaurant Felsenkeller. Patrick is a lively guy and generous with it. He paid for all the drinks here two years ago and this time he went one better by putting on the food as well. We all had a great time and Patrick announced that he would be paying for the Lantsch Band to visit the UK next year. A good evening was had by all.

Tuesday 14^th June

We left our good friends in Lantsch and set off up the Julier Pass towards St Moritz. - this was a trip that I was looking forward to! We hadn’t been on the road very long, however, and Ken received a call from his wife that his sister had passed away – Ken was expecting the news but it was a very sad and upsetting moment that gave us all an opportunity to reflect. The weather was again very inclement (so much for my forecast of a heat wave) and when we eventually arrived in St Moritz it was fairly steady drizzle, however, we made the best of it and had a look around the town where so many of the rich and famous live.

St Moritz was just a stopover on the way to Ilanz where we would meet new friends and do our second gala concert. Before the concert we were shown to our accommodation which turned out to be a Youth Hostel, but hey, by now we were all bonding pretty well and after much horse play we went to the gig. Unfortunately, the promoter had rather overpriced the tickets so the audience could have been larger but it all went well and we managed to keep up with Michael!

Wednesday 15th June

After breakfast we set off across the Alps to our next sightseeing at Lake Luzern. The weather was much better now and the journey took us through Flims and Wasen - these were two places that we had stayed on the 1976 tour, of which just 4 of our current band were present. Good memories were recalled including the one when the police did a raid on the pub that we were drinking in after hours and we all got fined, thankfully, the Flims band paid our fines! The Alps were spectacular and we stopped the coach for a band picture in the snow.

We eventually arrived in Luzern but although this is a beautiful town I spent all the visit trying to arrange for a top-up card for Ken’s phone – if you’ve ever tried doing that abroad you’ll remember to take some with you next time – I will! Thankfully, I have seen Luzern on many occasions!

The concert in Village Neuf took us across the boarder into France. We played here two years ago and we were looking forward to doing the inaugural concert in their spectacular new concert hall. The building was very impressive and for a relatively small district this was an example for us all to aspire to. The evening concert was attended by over 600 people and this was, without doubt, the best playing of the week – we were still keeping up with Michael but I had the feeling that he had another couple of gears in reserve! The commercial staff was were delighted with the CD sales and the evening was a great success. Chris Joynes was compare for the evening and with his charm and our playing we managed 4 encores all with standing ovations! We were introduced to our host families and I found myself sharing with Andy Vurner (or Dell-Boy from Fools and Horses as I prefer to call him) the nickname was inspired by Andy’s attempts at conversation with our French host but I can talk, or rather, I can’t!

Thursday 16^th June

We left Village Neuf with confidence in the bank and words from Philip, the organiser, saying that representatives of several French Bands had been in the audience and that they all would like to be host bands to us, in the future!

We now had wall-to-wall sunshine and so the sightseeing in Basel was quickly changed in favour of a later start and a leisurely trip to Marsens, home of our Maestro, Chris Joynes. An impromptu stopover in Fribourg for lunchtime refreshments and we were on the road again. Chris had told me about the isolated Chalet, in its own private forest, over 3,000 feet above sea level, that he had booked for our next two nights and he was sure it would be an ideal climax to the week – he wasn’t wrong!

On arrival at Gros-Prarys it was apparent that Chris and Michael – who had been there all day – were two very exceptional cooks. It is one thing to cook for 4, another thing to cook for 12, but 46, this was a spectacular feast and we can’t thank them enough for the hard work that went into it, Michael doing 8 hours straight and Chris 14 hours - Martin, our Flugel player, also spent nearly 3 hours in the kitchen, too! – I don’t remember putting "chief cook and bottle washer in Michael’s contract"... come to think of it, I don’t remember any contract!

After the first meal there were a few hours to kill before the second meal, so I organised a 5-a-side football tournament. We had six teams that we named after British Brass Bands and it was Cory that beat Ever Ready in the Final. Black Dyke and Grimethorpe were equal 3^rd with Desford 5^th and Fodens 6^th. We had policeman, one of our Eb Bass players, Andy Robertson as referee with yellow and red credit cards being shown for over enthusiasm in the face of teams made up of women and children. One wag was overheard saying, when two of our cornet players went up to head the same ball, …’that’s the first time they’ve been together all week’. Michael Dodd did play for Grimethorpe but this time he did not impress – he was flat on many occasions - by this I mean flattened by 6 year-old Isaac!

Friday 17^th June

We left our new mountain retreat for sightseeing in Vevey. This was home to Charlie Chaplin. Ken and I had our picture taken by his Chalplin's statue on the lakeside. Later, the band took a steamboat trip to Lausanne-Ouchy where the coach was ready to meet us. We then left Vevey on route to beautiful Gruyeres Village. We had played there two years ago but this time we were without Chris as he was cooking our next dinner so no concert. We had a quick look around before returning to Gros-Prarys. Needless to say that Chris and Michael had put on another superb meal for us and we later set off for our final concert in the church in Vuippens.

By now the band was playing well and although this was an intimate concert it was extremely well received, with several standing ovations, and was a fitting climax to the tour. Special mention should go to Chantal Pye for not only switching to Solo Horn at the last minute but also for her playing of the solo ‘Over the Rainbow’, her husband Mark was also quite good at playing Demelza!

Saturday 18^th June

We had to clean up our digs before an 8.30a.m. departure so we all got up at 6.45 a.m. and all mucked-in with the big clean-up. Chris had already taken Scott and Pip to the station at 5.30 a.m. and found us 5 freshly baked loaves. When we got up he was already busy cleaning up the Chalet! The chalet manager arrived at 8.30 and gave us the OK, even though we had managed to break a couple of plates and a few glasses – we’ll stop that from the chefs’ salary! It was a very long and tiresome journey home that took 15 hours but it was all worth it.

Chris Joynes thinks that the next time the band wants to go abroad it should go to Sweden.

The tour would not have been possible without the enormous efforts of Chris Joynes and his family. We would also like to thank those people too numerous to mention that have organised concerts, food and drink and accommodation with host families etc. It is a massive job to move 40 odd (sometime VERY odd!) people and all their instruments and luggage around Europe and everyone has done a superb job on our behalf. Thanks once again to Michael Dodd for his contribution that was over and above anything that we could have expected – he is a top bloke and a top player – he’s not a bad cook either!

Marcus Rhyner typified the manners and hospitality of the Swiss people. They are truly a nation of caring and generous people and if you ever get a chance to go there, do so, because you won’t be disappointed. Thanks also to all our guest players – we have the transfer forms ready!

Band Perssonel: Sop; Mark Pye. Principal Cornet; Chris Lewis. Tutti Cornets; Dan Pearce, Simon Persin and Roy Taylor. Rep; Pete Stephens. 2^nd Cornet, Sam Easterbrook. 3^rd Cornets; Martin Easterbrook and Emma Godfrey. Flugel Horn, Martin Prince. Solo Horn, Chantal Pye. 1^st Horn, Paul Street. 2^nd Horn, Jacqi Dunster. Solo Trom, Scott Stewart. 2^nd Troms Dave Shelley and Andy Vurner. Bass Trom, Remus Sawyerr. Solo Euph, Michael Dodd. 2^nd Euph Steve Dunster. 1^st Baritone, Keith Green. 2^nd Baritone, Linda Taylor. Eb Basses Kevin Woods and Andy Robertson. Bb Basses, Karl Pettit and Marcus Rhyner. Percussionists, Paul Johnson, Kate Johnson and Lynn Shepherd.

MAY 05 - MONTHLY NEWS  back to top

Here is the weather forecast for June 11^th – 18^th. It is going to be a heat wave in Europe, especially Southern England and Switzerland. This forecast is not based on some woolly folk-law involving seaweed or the like, no, this is scientific stuff, percentages I think they call it. So far, the SWT Woodfalls Band has undertaken 3 tours of Switzerland and 2 of the 3 have been some of the hottest summers on record. Who would bet against another scorcher for the band’s 4^th tour in June 2005? It follows, therefore, that a gambling man would be down to the bookies to place a wager on this certainty, either that, or stockpile the nations suntan lotion ready to make a quick profit. Seriously though, regardless of the weather, the band is looking forward to its tour and hopes to fly the ambassadorial flag of friendship (if there is such a thing) throughout its weeklong visit. There will be new friends to make and old ones to greet, new places to see and familiar sights to rest the eyes on, but at the end of it all, one thing will remain – the music!

The band’s new CD "On Track" will be with us before we go, so ask at the Woodfalls Post Office for your hot-copy and it will only cost you £12 – that’s the same as the last one in 2003 – that’s what you call low inflation Mr. Brown!

APRIL 05 -  MONTHLY NEWS  back to top

It takes a great deal of preparation to make a CD and even more concentration to actually record it. So, on 24th March the band sat down to record its fourth CD under the banner of its sponsor, South West Trains. The first session on Thursday and subsequent sessions on Good Friday all went extremely well and, as they say in showbiz parlance, we believe we have some good work "in the can" - we now anxiously await the first edit to see if it lives up to expectation. Meanwhile, the artwork for the CD is the next stage of the project with words and images being sent electronically by e-mail between band members, the engineers (Doyen) and South West Trains. When that is complete, and the final edit accepted, we shall receive 1000 of the CDs entitled "ON TRACK" – well what else could we call it after the last one was called "First Class". When we go to Switzerland in June with a new CD it will all have been worth it – let’s hope they sell like hot-cakes, there and at home!

To get a preview of the pieces we have recorded, come along to the Regent Centre in Christchurch on Sunday 1 May at 7.30p.m where we shall be playing most of them. Tickets are just £8 with concessions. Telephone the box office now on 01202-499148

19 MARCH 05 - MONTHLY NEWS   back to top

On the weekend of 12/13 March our two bands made the 3-hour journey to Torquay to compete at the South West Brass Band Championships. The first and second placed bands in each of the 5 sections would receive an opportunity to go through to the National Finals later this year and it was the Woodfalls Concert Brass that took the plaudits. They played on the Saturday in the second section and when I saw them (in the bar), it was apparent that they were all highly delighted with their 2^nd place and an invite to the Finals in Harogate in September. Good Luck to them from us!

The South West Trains Band played on the Sunday but were disappointed to be placed 6^th. The adjudicator, Roy Roe put in his remarks that their performance required more pace and drive – no train puns required!

The SWT band now moves into the recording studio for a session with Doyen to record a new CD - it will be available in June. Later, in April, we shall be doing another recording session, this time for the Radio 2 show "Listen to the Band" - it will be broadcast at a date yet to be announced – watch this space.

15 FEBRUARY 05 -  MONTHLY NEWS   back to top

This month I should like to start by thanking our loyal group of supporters for regularly coming along to the Redlynch Social Club to listen to us rehearse and perform the test-pieces that we are preparing. This is a recent strategy that the band has been using ahead of competitions, the idea being to put the band under pressure and bring the performance focus forward one week, thus leaving a further week to polish the test piece. So far, this strategy seems to be paying dividends because last May we managed our highest position of 4^th in The All England Masters. Also, on Sat. 5^th Feb. the band went one better than its 2003 3^rd place to finish 2^nd at The Yeovil Entertainment Contest. If you would like to help the band by listening to us prepare Wagner’s Rienzi for the West of England Championships come along to the Club on Sunday 6^th March at 4.30p.m. Later, at 7.15p.m. we shall perform a mini-concert for 30 minutes to include the test-piece. This will be followed at 8.00p.m. by The Woodfalls Junior Band and at 8.30p.m.The Woodfalls Concert Brass will also play for 30 minutes to include their test-piece, Variations for B.B. by Vaughan Williams - admission is free!

On Saturday 12^th Feb. the band made a return visit to the Ferndown Community Centre. It is some years since we performed at this venue and although it is a small hall, the intimate atmosphere provided a wholesome and cohesive experience. The concert was entitled Ambassadors of Brass and was conceived to generate enthusiasm and understanding of Brass Bands. I am sure that, in time, the organisers will achieve their ambitions and hopefully this will be the first of many promotional events around the district.  The band was conducted by Steve Dunster of the Woodfalls Concert Brass.

19 JANUARY 05 - MONTHLY NEWS   back to top

The New Year starts with the inevitable preparation for the Yeovil entertainment contest where each of the 13 invited bands has to play a 25-minute programme of music of their choice. This might sound like an easy process, just pick your favourite 5 pieces of the last 6 months and put them in an order that will leave the audience and adjudicator gob-smacked. Unfortunately, this process does not take into account the preferences of 30 members, let alone the order in which to play them, thank goodness for conductors, for when everyone has had their say, the decision is made from the front and on the whole everyone accepts the outcome.

If you would like to discover what we have decided to play in this year’s contest you are invited to come along to the Redlynch Club at 4.30p.m. on Sunday 30 January where we shall be rehearsing the music with conductor Dave Barringer. Later, at 7.15p.m. we shall put on our uniforms and sit down to play you the entire programme in the order that we shall play it one week later. The Woodfalls Junior Band will follow this with a short programme of music

If you can’t make it to Yeovil on Saturday 5^th Feb. how about coming along to the Ferndown Community Centre on Saturday 12 Feb where the band will be performing in a concert which is entitled Ambassadors of Brass. It was originally going to feature a composite band of local players who were to perform a Viennese Evening, however, due to a player shortage, our band has agreed to step in to help the organiser honour his commitment to put on the concert. The programme will now be a traditional brass band selection of solos, marches and film music etc.

On Saturday 15^th January, the South West Trains Woodfalls Band collected £1553 towards the Asian Disaster Appeal. The money was raised in just two hours during a concert that the band gave to shoppers in the West Quay shopping centre, Southampton. The band was conducted by Resident Conductor, Jonathan Camps and the light programme of music received shouts of approval from the large crowd, many of whom were hearing the band for the first time. The acoustics of West Quay were lively but with four floors it was reminiscent of the Albert Hall with many in the audience viewing from a great height. Later that day, the band met at the Redlynch Club for a dinner.  Jane Lee, of South West Trains was in attendance and she was delighted to renew the band's sponsorship for 2005.  Click here for a picture or go to Gallery 2000