Next month, Lydney Town Band will be competing in the West of England Bandsmen's Festival (aka Bugle) for the first time in 35 years!!! We’re really looking to joining in the festivities as the contest celebrates its 100th anniversary.
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Special shout out to our Contest Secretary, Julie, who has been working diligently to make sure everything goes smoothly for the band in the run-up to next month!

​…so our return visit to Stroud was a bit of a wet one but we’re so grateful to everyone who came along and braved the elements to hear us perform in Stratford Park yesterday!

The afternoon saw a range of incredible solos and ensemble performances including ‘The Man with the Child in his Eyes’ by our Flugelhorn Sarah, the performance debut of ‘Joy’ arranged by David Pilkington-Crowe, and some very appropriate head wear choices from our Soprano Cornet, Kay, and the Tuba/Bass Trombone team for their respective performances of ‘Feed the Birds’ and ‘L’Elephant’.

Huge thanks to Wayne for these brilliant photos and thanks to Stroud District Council for inviting us along to perform as part of their Music in the Park programme!

We’re already half way to the weekend!
Our question is: what’ve you got planned?

If you’re free on Saturday, our Principal Cornet Kerry is hosting an open garden fundraising event in aid of Cancer Research UK and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Westwood, located within Hewelsfield, is the absolute epitome of a cottage garden and brimming with rustic charm. There’s even a special fairy trail that the little ones can explore. When you need a break from wandering around, tea and cake will be available and Lydney Town Band ensembles will be performing at various points throughout the day!
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For further details, see below!

Last night, Lydney Training Band performed alongside The Springfield Singers at the Lydney Royal British Legion Branch Poppy Appeal Concert at Lydney Town Hall.

Massive shout out to Kim, pictured below, who debuted her trombone solo ‘Angels Guard Thee’ and absolutely nailed it! Well done also to Dougie, Gill and the Back Row Cornet team for their solo/ensemble features. Thanks to Alasdair, Dan and Samantha for their help!

The ‘1st of May’ means a lot of things to different people: in the Gaelic and Welsh traditions, it is celebrated as Belthane and Calan Mai representing the first day of summer; you might also see May Queens and Jack in the Greens processing and Maypoles being danced around. Philatelists celebrate it as the day the first Penny Blacks were issued in 1840 (…we assume? ).

The ‘1st of May’ is also International Tuba Day!

Established in 1979 and it is observed on the first Friday of every May. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the biggest instruments in the band, the players behind them and the ground trembling contribution they make to a band. Here’s a photo of our fabulous tuba team from last year’s GBBA Contest. 

​In spite of their size, playing the tuba requires almost all of the fundamental skills that smaller instruments require, so if you’re interested in learning to play a tuba, get in touch!

Last week, the Lydney Starter Band took their Spring Showcase to Goode Court in Lydney.

The residents were entertained with a range of classic tunes, including jazz, easy listening and film music, culminating in a Greased Lightnin’ finale! The concert marked performance debuts for Harper, Lucie, Emrys and Ruby, who absolutely nailed it. Huge thanks to Kerry, Roger and Ken for their tireless work in helping the players grow and develop their musical skills. Shout out to Goode Court for once again being such a supportive and welcoming audience.

Next Saturday, Lydney Training Band* will be performing alongside The Springfield Singers at a Poppy Appeal Concert organised by the Lydney Royal British Legion Branch at Lydney Town Hall.
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Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30pm start - see below for details on where/how to buy tickets.
It will a really special evening for an incredible cause and it would amazing to see you there.

What a day we had at the 56th Bailey Lane End Music Festival, with players from Lydney Town, and Lydney Training Band competing!

Over the course of the morning, we had Rylan, Ben, Jago, Wren, Jonah and Edith from the Training Band competing across four categories. Jago took 2nd place in the Brass Solo Under 11 category with Moon River; in the Brass Solo 11 - 12 years category, Jonah took 3rd place with Wallace and Gromit whilst Wren won the Morgan Electrical Services Trophy with her performance of Pure Imagination. Jonah and Wren also took 3rd place in the Brass Duet Under 21 category with Wizard Wheezes.

The afternoon session featured one outstanding performance after another! Lydney Town Band had three duet combos entered into the Open Duet category - from our Front Row Cornets: Kerry and Rory, our Euphonium team: Idris and Louis, and our Musical Director and Solo Horn player: Tom and Samantha! Idris and Louis took 3rd place with Deep Inside the Secret Temple, whilst Tom and Samantha won the E.W. Annetts Trophy with a fabulous performance of Sonata in Canon!

In the Open Solo (Adult Beginners) category, Gill, part of our Training Band Baritone team, won the C A Roberts Memorial Trophy with a gorgeous rendition of Share My Yoke. Finally, in the Open Brass Ensemble category - Kerry, Rory, Samantha and Tom were back in action with Philip Sparke's Divertimento, which won them the BLE Centenary Festival Trophy!

A massive thank you to A W Parker Drybrook for hosting the contest for another year, to Chris Turner for his insightful and supportive feedback to the contestants, to Tracey and Dorothy for their incredible efforts accompanying our players throughout the day, and to Kerry for all of her work and support in preparation for the contest.

We're really excited to be able to share our Summer 2026 Concert Schedule!
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There's going to be loads of opportunities over the next few months to see both Lydney Town Band and Lydney Training Band performing across Gloucestershire.

We would like to give a quick shout out to our Band Secretary, Kerry, who has been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to organise some much needed maintenance to repair the Lydney Bandroom’s leaky roof.

Next month, on Saturday 9th May, Kerry will be hosting an Open Garden in Hewelsfield to raise money for Cancer Research UK and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. See below for further details!

(Happy April 1st )
“SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!”

Since our promotion to the Second Section, Lydney Town Band have been working away on plans for a new entertainment and rehearsal space and we’re excited to be able to give you a first glimpse!

This innovative new venue will feature a main auditorium with a maximum capacity of 2,000 people, with a full suite of lighting, recording and staging options to accommodate everything from brass band contests, musicals and operas, and even the world’s biggest circus troupes!

To support the next generation of musicians, the venue will include various sized rehearsal rooms and tuition spaces. The incredible 15 storey structure depicted to the rear of the building will house a vast new library of the finest music from around the world - everything from Bach to Bernaerts and beyond!

The absolute highlight for visitors will be a trip to the rooftop terrace! This will feature a 100 foot water feature housed within the elegant curve of the library block, a cafe-bistro with magnificent views over the River Severn, and a 120 foot statue of a conductor carrying the essence of music (final design and actual feasibility tbc)
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We’re excited and we can’t wait to hear what you think!

​Last Friday, we skipped rehearsal and went out for a band meal to celebrate our success at the WEBBA Regional Championships! It was also an opportunity for us to thank our Musical Director, Tom, for all his hard work and dedication over the last few months as we prepared 20,000 Leagues under the Sea
Shout out to Tim for taking these gorgeous photos!

​A few “behind the scenes” photos from last weekend at the WEBBA Regional Championships in Torquay.

We’d like to extend our thanks and ongoing gratitude to our Musical Director, Thomas Dunne, for all of his hard work and support over the last few months as we’ve prepared 20,000 Leagues under the Sea!

A special shout out to Mike who competed in his first contest with Lydney Town Band, and to our Contest Secretary Julie for all of her work in securing rehearsal venues and making sure everything ran smoothly for us in the run-up to last weekend!
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Many thanks to Emma, Mark, Samantha, Neil and Sarah for these fabulous photos!

The results are in!!!

We came fourth at the WEBBA Regional Championships, a superb start to our time in the Second Section. Congratulations to Lanner and District Silver Band on taking first place, as well as Verwood Town Band and Wotton Silver Band on second and third place!