The musical partnership between Uppermill Band and new MD Dean Redfern has already got off to a great start after they gained a podium place at the recent Rochdale contest.

Not surprisingly then, Dean, who decided to retire both as a player and Chairman of Brighouse & Rastrick earlier in the year, is more than pleased to be back in banding with the team at Uppermill — as are the band.

Breath of fresh air

Band Chairman John Ward, told 4BR: "We were delighted to appoint Dean as our new MD. He's been like a breath of fresh air with his positive attitude and new ideas, and I'm sure there will be many more successes to follow in 2017."

After a busy Christmas period the next challenge for Uppermill will be their appearance at the North-West Area Championships held in Blackpool in February.