We paid a visit to Severnbanks Primary School in Lydney this morning with an ensemble of Town Band players as part of our outreach programme which aims to encourage more children to take up playing brass instruments.
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They were such a brilliant and welcoming audience! If you or someone you know, perhaps one of the kids in today’s audience, fancies trying out and learning brass, we’d love to hear from you!

We’re incredibly proud to have received confirmation that in January 2026, Lydney Town Band will be returning to the Second Section!!!

Enormous thanks to our Musical Director Thomas Dunne for all of his hard work over the last few years and his continuing efforts to improve the band’s musical standard. Shout out also to all the incredible players, past and present, who’ve helped contribute to this achievement. Typically promotion is a multi-year undertaking and we couldn’t have done it without the breadth of support we enjoy!

Here's a fabulous photo of the band, taken by Lizzie, three weeks ago at the WEBBA Regional Championships

After all of the hard work of the last few months in preparation for the Regional Championships, we took the opportunity to swap a band rehearsal for a band meal!
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(Many thanks to Tim for these fabulous photos!)

After months of preparation, we finished 5th out of 18th! Congratulations to Bratton Silver Band for winning the Third Section!

Here's a few behind the scenes photos from this weekend!

Today is International Women's Day and we just wanted to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the incredible contribution that women have made and continue to make to the whole of the Lydney Town Band organisation, and the wider brass band community. We’re very lucky at Lydney to have a great team of female players, who are absolutely intrinsic to the band’s success. 

It is important however to acknowledge that although progress has been made in recent decades, there is still work to be done to ensure that *everyone* can reach their full potential - be that as a player, a composer, a conductor/musical director or an adjudicator, and that opportunities exist so that potential can be realised.

If you'd like to know more about the incredible contributions that women have made to brass banding in the UK, a great starting point would be the late Gracie Cole, the very definition of a trailblazer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gracie_Cole

We've made it down to Torquay for the weekend! Here's a photo from last night’s rehearsal ahead of today’s WEBBA Regional Championships in Torquay. 
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The very best of luck to all of the bands competing today, particularly our neighbours from the Forest of Dean: A W Parker Drybrook, Lydbrook Band, Cinderford Band, Forest of Dean Brass, Bream Silver Band and Pillowell Silver Band!

Throughout the year, we run a monthly prize draw which helps provide funding for the work of Lydney Town and Training Bands, as well as the Lydney Starter Group. The income generated helps towards buying a range of band essentials such new music, new instruments, and uniforms (band ties, polo shirts etc). 

The draw is open to all, players and non-players, friends and family of the band members and entry is available for just £1/month! If you'd like to find out how to join draw, just get in touch for further details. 

Massive thanks to Filton Concert Brass for the opportunity to take part in last night’s Area Test Piece Preview ahead of next week’s WEBBA Regional Championships.
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It was great to see them, as well as Forest of Dean Brass and Wotton Silver Band performing on stage and all sounding so brilliant. We can’t wait to delve into the invaluable feedback from Michael Fowles and put the finishing touches to Arkansas.

Further details of the day can be found at: 
​https://www.facebook.com/filtonconcertbrass/posts/1236507418480758

There’s just over a week to go until the WEBBA Regional Championships in Torquay and tomorrow, we’ll be giving our first public performance of this year’s Third Section test piece: Arkansas by Jacob De Haan.

The evening will also feature performances from the evening’s hosts: Filton Concert Brass, as well as Forest of Dean Brass and Wotton Silver Band! It’s guaranteed to be a superb evening of music and if you’re in the area it’d be great to have you along!
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Doors open at 5:30pm for a 6pm start and tickets are £3, with a cash bar and raffle available.

Cornet sectional - done!  Just over three weeks to go until the Regional Championships!

We held our annual Achievement Awards Evening on Saturday, hosted at the Bailey Inn, Yorkley. This event is always a fabulous opportunity for players from the Town Band, Training Band and Starter Group, to come together and celebrate the amazing achievements of the last 12 months!

The festivities began with a welcome for the players who joined us during 2024: Gabriel, Kath, Kim, Mike, Rachel and Silvana; all receiving a special certificate! Next up was Kevin, Band Chairman and Training Band Conductor, who paid tribute to the improved playing standard of the band and their success at the GBBA Contest in November, before presenting the Training Band Awards:
Most Promise Award: Jago
Most Improved Player: Millie
Tutor’s Award: Etta
Player’s Player Award: Dougie
Conductor’s Award: Jessica
Brian White Memorial Trophy for Musician of the Year: Dougie

Following on, Tom, the Town Band’s Musical Director, spoke about the band’s incredible year during 2024: qualifying for the National Championships in March, our outstanding performance at the Wychavon Festival of Brass, and the retention of the Third Section titles at the GBBA Contest. The winners of the awards, receiving newly inaugurated trophies were:
Most Improved Player: Daniel Crowe
Section of the Year: Trombones
Outstanding Contribution Award: Julie Jones
Player’s Player Award: Matthew Crowe
Player of the Year: Louise Bayfield

There was also a very special moment where we paid tribute to Mark Baldwin, who has recently decided to retire from the Town Band. Mark has been associated with Lydney for nearly four decades, and his contribution and dedication to the band have made an enormous difference over the course of his long service.
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Shout out to Kit for winning the annual skittles contest too!

We had a “blow out the cobwebs and have some fun” rehearsal this evening and ‘eased’ into the new year with light touch run throughs of Suite Gothique, The Padstow Lifeboat, Spectrum and Mephistopheles. 

​Band Chairman, Kevin, who led this evening’s rehearsal, reflecting on 2024 said: “A good year for the Lydney Band organisation. We will try our hardest to make 2025 even more fun.”

As we reach the end of 2024, we would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and extend our thanks for the ongoing support we have from across the local community and beyond. This year has been one of continued development and success across Lydney Town Band, Lydney Training Band and the Lydney Starter Group!

Throughout 2024, the Town Band proudly represented Lydney on the contesting stage, achieving our first outright contest win in over twenty years at the Wychavon Festival of Brass, taking Third Place in the Third Section of the WEBBA Regional Championships in March and qualifying for the National Championships of Great Britain, and retaining the Best Percussion Section Award at the GBBA Own Choice Contest.

Our fabulous Training Band also returned to the GBBA Own Choice Contest in November, winning their section and retaining their Gold Standard Award. The Starter Group has continued to provide the ideal onboarding point for aspiring musicians and in Spring, undertook a showcase tour of the area's residential homes. Players from both groups also enjoyed success at the Bailey Lane End Festival during the summer! We were also able to celebrate the enormous contribution that Roger and Ken Powell have made to the Training Band and Starter Group, when the pair were shortlisted for the Brass Bands England 2024 Services to Youth Award.

Special shout outs go to the team that undertook the Severn Bridge 10k and the Portishead 10k to help raise money for new instruments; to Louise and Matt for brilliantly portraying the protagonists of our Wychavon entry: The Tale of the Princess and the Dragon, as well as Adrian for his deft trombone work at the story's climatic finale; to the Town Band's Musical Director, Thomas Dunne, for his incredible work in helping us achieve our contesting successes; and to Kevin and Kerry Ford for all of their hard work in the continuing development of the Training Band!
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Onwards to 2025!!!

We’ve ended our epic 2024 Christmas carolling season on home turf, bringing some last minute festive cheer to the customers of Tesco Lydney!
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Many thanks to everyone who has donated, said hello, sang along and even taken a turn conducting our ensembles. A big shout out to our incredible collectors, ensemble conductors and the people working behind the scenes to bring everything together across the Lydney Starter Group, Lydney Training Band and Lydney Town Band!