Newstead Brass hopes to bounce back to full contesting strength following their withdrawal from the Spring Festival Senior Cup this weekend.

The difficult decision was made after taking into account the unforeseen difficulties that have been encountered following the sudden illness of MD Duncan Beckley (above).

Creditable

Newstead gave a very creditable performance at the Midland Area Championships after Phil Goodwin stepped in just days before the contest, but with Duncan's convalescence still ongoing the band had found difficulty in finding a replacement for the Blackpool event on the set-work, 'Music for Battle Creek'.

We have currently changed to a one rehearsal a week format and welcome the experienced John Davis on an interim basis to take us into the summer concert seasonBand Spokesperson Mike Allcock

Busy schedule

Band Spokesperson Mike Allcock told 4BR: "Although it's been a challenging few months the good news is that Duncan is on the road to recovery. We have currently changed to a one rehearsal a week format and welcome the experienced John Davis on an interim basis to take us into the summer concert season.

We have a busy concert schedule ahead and look forward to returning to the Spring Festival in 2017."