Ian will be conducting Hepworth (Cookson Homes) Band at the contest this year. He played with a number of bands at the contest, winning the Stanley Wainwright Solo Award with YBS in 1997.”

Highlight

"My only Open win as a player with YBS in 1997 was special.

The contest had been postponed due to the death of Princess Diana and so the band had to wait until the January to play at Symphony Hall. We were on brilliant form that day and David King brought a real touch of magic to his interpretation of ‘Whitsun Wakes.’

It seemed so easy – everything fell into place and I remember thinking just how enjoyable it was – after we finished of course!

I was awarded the Stanley Wainwright Trophy as ‘Best Soloist’ and nobody seemed to even hint that we didn’t deserve it.

You don’t get many days like that in your career."

We were all so happy, until it was announced that Marple as the last band on the day, had pipped us and won the OpenIan Porthouse

The flip side

"Coming second with Tredegar in 1996 on ‘Severn Suite’.

I had come to the band under Nicholas Childs and they just worked their socks off for the contest. We played so well on the day – although I know that Iwan Fox (4BR Editor) was disappointed because he thought he had a personal mare on soprano!

After we played we were a bit stunned and so many people came up to me to say that they felt we were right in the frame.

When the results were announced we had come second – a brilliant achievement for the band at the time. We were all so happy, until it was announced that Marple as the last band on the day, had pipped us and won the Open.

Nothing against Marple, but to have been winning the British Open from band number 9, right up until they played as number 22 seemed to deflate us all. To come that close.

That’s what makes contesting so brilliant when you win and so awful when you lose."