This year's West of England Bandsman's Festival will take place on Saturday 16th June.

Entry forms are now available on the Festival Web Site and are available with full details and Rules at www.webf.co.uk

Encouraging participation

Foden's principal cornet player Mark Wilkinson will be making his first appearance at this unique open air festival, which draws thousands of spectators from all over the UK to the picturesque village of Bugle in Cornwall.

Bands can compete in seven different sections, including Youth and Training, as the organisers are particularly keen to encourage young musicians to participate in competitive music making.

Jonathan Lush Camps LRSM will be making his first appearance as the new Festival Deportment Judge.

To help encourage competitors the contest rules have been changed to allow a band to include up to 5 guest players, subject to certain conditions.

Prize fund

The generous prize fund over £4,000, sees £1,000 going to the winners of the Championship Section, as well as the prestigeous Royal Trophy, presented by the then Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall to the Festival in 1913.

Entries close on 5th May, but applications should be made as soon as possible to guarantee participation.

2018 Test Pieces:

Championship Section:
Isaiah 40 (Robert Redhead)
March: Jubilee (Paul Drury)

First Section:
Symphony of Marches (Gilbert Vinter)
Guardian of My Soul (Darren Shaw)

Second Section:
Fire in the Blood (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
Salutation from Cornish Hymns Set No. 3 (Kenneth Pelmear)

Third Section:
The Haslemere Suite (Peter Graham)

Fourth Seciton:
A Circus Suite (Stuart Johnson)

Youth Section:
Own-Choice test-piece

Training Section:
Own Choice (no longer than 10 minutes)