We’ve had a very busy second half of the week - on Wednesday, we took a festive tour of Lydney’s residential homes visiting Goode Court and Rodley House; on Saturday we had a double feature with a Town Band ensemble playing at the Brockweir & Hewelsfield Play Area and Lydney Training Band returning to perform with Chepstow Male Voice Choir’s Christmas concert; and today, we had two teams spreading Christmas joy at Tesco in Chepstow!
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Only ten days to go until Christmas!!!

We’ve got another busy weekend ahead! 

One highlight you won’t want to miss is going to be the Chepstow Male Voice Choir Christmas Concert on Saturday, where Lydney Training Band will be performing and helping to spread the festive cheer. This is always a really well supported event and this year, the choir will be joined by two fabulous guest singers! If you’re available, it would be amazing to see you there

You may remember that a few months ago, we said a fond farewell to Ben, ahead of his joining the Royal Marines. Last week, Ben celebrated his passing out ceremony and also in attendance was fellow Lydney Town Band alumnus: Daryl Powell!

Thanks so much to Sam for this marvellous photo of the pair of them

​First weekend of Christmas activities - COMPLETE!
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Lydney Training Band brought some festive musical cheer to the Lydney Lights Switch-On on Saturday! We also had ensembles of Town and Training Band players (plus some helpers - thanks Julia and Duncan!) performing in Monmouth, Taurus Crafts and Primrose Hill School!!!

The Lydney Town and Training Band Christmas Schedule is here!

On Sunday 8th December, Lydney Town Band will returning to the Mount of Olives Church, Coleford for their Christmas Concert. On Saturday 14th December, the Chepstow Male Voice Choir have kindly invited Lydney Training Band to perform as part of their annual Christmas Concert. The Training Band will also be perfroming at the St Mary's Church Christmas Carol Service, in Lydney, on Sunday 22nd!

We’ve also got loads of opportunities to see us at our community carolling sessions! It's going to be a busy one and we can't wait to see as many of you as possible!

These five superstars, alongside their playing for Lydney, have been busy helping raise money for new instruments for the band.
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In August, Dougie, Kerry and Tim ran in the Severn Bridge 10k; whilst Mark and Rory took part in the Portishead 10k at the end of September! They absolutely smashed through the initial fundraising target of £400 and ultimately raised more £800! (…and they gained some snazzy medals along the way!). A huge well done and thank you for all their efforts

We would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who came along to our Celebration Concert on Saturday evening at Lydney Town Hall!

A massive shout out to Louise and Matt, who delighted us with The Tale of the Princess and the Dragon. We also heard a fantastic performance of The Acrobat by Adrian and a sublime version of The Shepherds Song from Dougie. We’d also like to thank Krysten, Sarah and Wayne for their help on welcoming the audience and managing the raffle! Here’s a few photos from Saturday - if you were able to come along, we hope you had a great time

It was great to be able to also have a joint rehearsal with the Town and Training Bands at Lydney Town Hall last night, all in preparation for our Celebration Concert on Saturday evening!
There’s only two days until the big day!

In exactly one week's time, we'll opening the doors at Lydney Town Hall and welcoming everyone to our 2024 Celebration Concert! You might remember that last year's concert (see below) featured a swashbuckling adventure filled with sea shanties and trombone playing pirates!

This year, the Lydney Town Band will be debuting 'The Tale of the Princess and the Dragon' - a story of bravery, betrayal, hope and desire, showcasing the talents of our incredible Flugelhorn player: Louise Bayfield. Alongside this, we've got a whole host of original compositions and arrangements written by our Musical Director, Thomas Dunne, and players from within our ranks: David, Idris and Malcolm!

Lydney Training Band will also be there highlighting the range of upcoming talent within their ranks before both bands come together for a massed band finale. It promises to be an incredible night and we would absolutely love to see you there! Tickets are £8 for adults, £5 for concessions - you can pay on the door (cash or card accepted). There will also be a raffle and the Town Hall bar will be open for refreshments!

Fortunately the weather held its nerve yesterday and Lydney Training Band were able to entertain the attendees of the Forest Showcase Food Festival! ​

We had a jam-packed Training Band rehearsal last night ahead of their appearance at this weekend’s Forest Showcase Food Festival, being held at the Speech House! Come along and have a listen, we’ve got a brilliant programme that we’re sure you’ll love!
If you can’t make it to the Food Festival: on Saturday 19th October, the Training Band and Town Band will be performing at our annual Celebration Concert being held at Lydney Town Hall from 6:30pm!

There’s just 30 days to go until our 2024 Celebration Concert being held in Lydney Town Hall on Saturday 19th October! It promises to be an absolutely cracking evening, showcasing the plethora of talents in both the Town and Training Bands. Pop it in your diary, write it on the calendar, stick a post-it note on the fridge - it would be wonderful to see you there

It was absolutely lovely to have Ben Hannaford-Waddington visit the Training Band for one last rehearsal, “back where it all began”, before he joins the Royal Marines later this month! We wish him all the very best as he begins the next chapter and can’t thank him enough for everything he has contributed to the Training and Town Bands, both as a musician and a mentor, bringing a positive, absolute can-do attitude to every situation