​On Monday 18th March, the ladies and gentlemen at Rodley House, Lydney, were treated to a brilliant springtime showcase of talent by the Lydney Starter Group.  The group of 16, including new starters and three adult learners, performed a range of solos, duets and ensemble performances including Abide with Me and Peppermint Tango! Five of the players: Autumn, Shiann, Kaiesha, Cora and Kip made their solo debuts. Kip on his red Trombone looked like he was really enjoying himself.

The band was led by Kerry Ford, with support from tutors Roger and Ken Powell. There was a fun rendition of Wonka’s welcome played by Rhys and Sadie (a brother and sister team) and a wonderful version of the Floral Dance by adult learner Lisa. Our young trombonist Edith played a beautiful rendition of ‘Jupiter’, and there were many more to enjoy. Youth Development Officer Kerry Ford said, “With 15 soloists there was an amazing variety of music and the audience at Rodley House sang along to Daisy Bell and The Pink Panther. It was just great to see some new brass talent in the making”. 

The Starter Group are appearing at two other residential venues this spring as part of their performance tour. Their next concert will be at Goode Court on Monday 15 April. The tour is a great way to build confidence and develop team working skills, enabling the new players to move on into the Training Band as quickly as possible with their new found skills.  

​Our development programme for young players is thriving and reaping many rewards for the individuals involved. In the last fortnight, six Training Band members took exams ranging from grade one to five! We're happy to report that all six passed with flying colours! Well done to Wren and Jonah (both: grade 1), Sadie (grade 3), Millie (grade 4), and Herbie and George (both: grade 5). We're very proud of you all! 

Looking forward to the next few months, Youth Development Officer, Kerry Ford, said: "The place to start is with ‘learners’ and this spring we are taking our Starter Group out three times to perform concerts at our local residential homes. Here they play their solos and ensembles to willing ears, learning essential life skills about preparation, self discipline, confidence and team work."

Our grateful thanks to Ken & Roger Powell, Kevin & Kerry Ford for their dedication and patience to make the magic happen.

​We're very happy to report that Lydney Town Band came third in the WEBBA Regional Championships held in Torquay yesterday!!! This means that the Band have also qualified for the National Championships for the first time in eight years. We would like to pass on our congratulations to Verwood Town and Nailsworth Silver Band who took first and second place respectively.

Enormous thanks to our Musical Director, Thomas Dunne, for all his hard work and dedication over the last few months to get us here. Shout out to our brilliant Contest Secretary, Julie, for all her work on securing rehearsal venues and making sure everyone knew where they had to be at various times! Also, massive thanks to our fellow banders, and the families and friends who’ve supported us as we prepared for this weekend! Our thanks also to WEBBA for another well organised, well-run contest.

In addition, we would like to note that the Town Band included nine members who initially started with Lydney Training Band! 

​Today marks International Women's Day! Lydney Town Band is immensely proud of having so many wonderful and committed women who contribute to our organisation, particularly in Lydney Training Band and the Starter Group, where they continue to set a superb example for the next generation of musicians who are coming through the ranks.

​Thanks to everyone who came along to support our open rehearsal in Lydney Town Hall last night