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2003 4BR
Awards: Lower Section
Band of the Year
Read our nominations below for the above category.
To vote, follow the links at the bottom of this page.
Plenty of bands who we could have nominated this year – all
the Lower Section Champions for instance or the Pontins winners
are worthy of a mention. It was a very hard choice though, but
in the end we came up with the five we thought deserved it the
most.
 BHK (UK) Ltd Horden
The National First Section Champions took the title in Dundee in
fine style (and even finer celebrations) under their conductor Wilf
Beddell. Earlier in the year they won the North East Regional title,
whilst they rounded off the year by winning the Mineworkers Contest
in Skegness, with the only blip Pontins where they came 6th under
Major Peter Parkes no less. All in all then a fantastic year for
a band that less than 12 months ago was down to just 12 players.
Brottum Musikkforneing
The winners of the First Section European Championship showed themselves
to be a fine band in 2003. They were clear winners of the Second
Division at the Norwegian National Championships playing “Dances
and Arias” no less, in a manner many a Top Section band would
have been proud, whilst they were also clear winners of the European
title when they performed an ambitious programme that included a
cracking performance of “Kingdom Triumphant.” We didn’t
hear too many better bands at this level all year.
 Smithills Schools Senior Band
It is very hard not to have the greatest admiration for this band
and their MD Chris Wormald. Year after year he has produced a crop
of talented young players who seem to enjoy playing brass instruments.
There are of course lots of others doing the same thing, but this
band just seems to have the knack of being in the right place at
the right time, and then playing wonderfully well. 2003 has seen
them shine at the Proms as well as take to the road at the Whit
Friday contests and win the National Youth Festival Schools Section
Award. They are an example of how brass bands can be used to the
best effect in general education in the public sector – and
for us that is nigh on priceless.
JAG Mount Charles Youth Band
There is something of a renaissance starting to occur in Cornish
banding and it has really nothing to do with the bands in the Championship
Section - it is all coming from the Youth bands. We don’t
know if it is the fluoride in the water or what, but both Mount
Charles and St. Dennis Youth have had a fantastic 2003.
We picked
JAG Mount Charles because of their fine victory in the National
Youth Brass Band Championships, where under Jon Small they won
the Community Section in tremendous fashion. In addition they took
many other awards during the year, but you get the feeling that
come 2010 the new powerhouse in British banding could well be south
of the River Exe (if they can hold onto their talent).
 Diggle
Great name, fine band. Their performance at Dundee when they won
the Third Section National title was one of those moments when you
said to yourself, “You can’t beat experience”.
Diggle won in no small part to the direction from the middle of
Alan Lawton, who has more years of playing and conducting under
his belt than most, whilst the band performance benefited from some
great playing from some “golden oldies”, especially
in the shape of their Principal Cornet David Pogson (ex of Black
Dyke fame of course). As Bill Shankly used to say, “Form is
temporary, class is permanent.”
Previous winners:
2002: St. Dennis
2001: Peter
Hawke Garages Lindley Band
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