Cognratulations to Golborne Brass Band, who have returned victorious from their recent trip to compete at the National Brass Band Championships in Cheltenham.
In February 2024, the band achieved 3rd place in the 3rd section at the Regional Brass Band Championships in Blackpool, which earned them an invitation to the National Finals in Cheltenham. At this point, they were newly promoted from the 4th section following success at the National Brass Band Championships in 2023.
The band eagerly accepted the invitation and have spent the summer fundraising and working hard preparing the set test piece ‘The Shipbuilders’.
The 3rd section Final was held at Cheltenham Racecourse on 14 September and qualifying bands from each region of Great Britain competed for the title of Champion in their respective sections. Golborne Brass Band beat all of the competition in the 3rd section and were crowned champions, securing them automatic promotion to the 2nd section for 2025.
The third section test piece ‘The Shipbuilders’ was written by Peter Yorke in 1960 and falls into the genre of light brass band music. The work consists of four movements: 1 – ‘Web of Steel’, 2 – ‘The Launching’, 3 – ‘All Hands At Work’ and 4 – ‘Maiden Voyage’. The opening fanfare of ‘Web of Steel’ in the lower section of the band establishes the imagery of a very large, very grand vessel being built. Meanwhile, ‘The Launching’ is a joyful celebration of the moment when the ship is launched into the water for the first time. ‘All Hands At Work’ evokes a sense of busyness and putting the finishing touches on the first class cabins. Finally in ‘Maiden Voyage’ the new ship takes to the waves with a vast ocean of adventure and exploration ahead.
This movement allowed the band’s principal players to shine, with the solo horn (James Lyon) leading into the duet between the principal cornet (Hollie Lancaster) and solo euphonium (Evan Hopkin) played beautifully by each. While each section of the band was mentioned positively in the three adjudicators’ comments, they particularly praised the bass section which was led by Mike Speakman on E-flat tuba.
The band was conducted by musical director Les Webb, who continues to drive them forward. Their rapid progression upwards from the 4th section to the 2nd section is testament to Les’ experience, leadership and ability to bring out the best in each player. Les’ famous motto is “music is fun”, and he sees every note on the page as an opportunity for storytelling and to take the listener on a musical journey, bringing the story of ‘The Shipbuilders’ to life. This approach undoubtedly won favour with the adjudicators at Cheltenham.
Among the band’s celebrations following the contest, they introduced two new awards. Repiano cornet player Mark Blakeson designed and crafted two trophies, ‘Player of the Year’ and ‘Bandsperson of the Year’. ‘Player of the Year’ was awarded by Les Webb to percussionist Abbie, who has made a huge impact in her first year since joining. ‘Bandsperson of the Year’ was chosen by the band members and was awarded to Mark Blakeson for his outstanding dedication to the band this year.
The band would like to thank everybody who has donated, supported and wished them well for their trip to Cheltenham, especially Golborne Community Members Club who continue to provide them with a space to rehearse and everybody who came to watch the open rehearsal on the 8th September. Highlights of the fundraising journey for Cheltenham included a sponsored walk and former band member Brian Pennington’s skydive, and the band are extremely grateful for every donation which helped make this trip possible.
The players are taking a well-deserved week off and will resume rehearsals next week for their upcoming concerts on 12 October (St Patrick’s Social Centre, Newton-le-Willows) and 19 October (Lowton Social Club).
You can find out more about Golborne Brass Band by visiting their website; following them on Facebook or Instagram.
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