BrassFestUK has announced the winners of its 2020 'Lockdown Person or Group Award'

There were a total of 19 nominations put forward with 1,850 votes cast — for individuals such as Cory MD, Philip Harper and internet radio producer Chris Johnston to organisations and bands such as Brighouse & Rastrick and Brass Band Amiens from France.

Deserving

In posting the award winners on the BrassFestUK Facenbook page, founder Rob Tomkins stated: "I am sure everyone would agree that all the people and groups who have been nominated are very deserving of the recognition.

In addition to those nominated there are many hundreds who are not on the list that also deserve a huge thank you for everything they have done during lockdown."

He added: "We still have a long way to go before lockdown is relaxed enough for bandspeople in the UK to get back to banding, so we need to keep projects coming and keep helping each other through this very tough time."

Award winners

Third place with 7% of the votes cast went to Steve Winter, MD of Mid Sussex Brass Band, with 9% taken by runner-up, Sam Wyne of Wantage Band.

The winner though was 13 year old Andrew Naylor from the Friendly Brass Band near Sowerby Bridge — who gained a massive 59% of the votes cast, with the announcement made to the sounds of the BrassFestUK Isolation Massed Band.

As reported on 4BR, Andrew from Halifax, West Yorkshire has also just been awarded one of the highest accolades in the Scouting movement.

He plays tenor horn in his local Scout band as well as Elland Sliver Youth, and is the youngest member of nearby Friendly Brass Band near Sowerby Bridge.

Andrew has played a solo item every Thursday at 8.00pm outside his home to pay tribute the thousands of workers in the NHS. He continues to do so, despite the weekly initiative no longer being undertaken.

We are understandably very proud of Andrew — and he is a very humble about what he has achieved. He told us that he felt others had done so much more to help people during the lockdownProud father, Phil Naylor.

Proud

His proud father Phil told 4BR: "We are understandably very proud of Andrew — and he is a very humble about what he has achieved. He told us that he felt others had done so much more to help people during the lockdown.

He began playing on a Thursday evening when the NHS initiative started and has carried on ever since — thanks in no small part to the support he has had from our neighbours who don't want him to stop!

He's now joined by a chap from over the road who Andrew helps by writing the fingering out under his part to help play along, and he's been having compositional lessons on-line to enable to him to make his own arrangements of new tunes each week."

We are understandably very proud of Andrew — and he is a very humble about what he has achieved. He told us that he felt others had done so much more to help people during the lockdownProud father, Phil Naylor.

Commissioner's Award

Andrew was recently presented with the prestigious National Commissioner's Award after being nominated by the Scouting Commissioner of West Yorkshire for his outstanding service to the scouting movement.

He has also been featured playing in on-line concerts to honour Captain Sir Tom Moore as well as the D Day and VE Day celebrations.

"All this and we have to say a big thank you to the people who have supported Andrew,"his Dad added. "The great Frank Mathieson helped inspire him with his practicing and everyone at the Friendly Band and Elland Silver Youth are great.

He's not going to stop until things get back to normal, so I think lots more people are going to enjoy his playing over the next few weeks at least!"

National press

Thanks to photographer Lorne Campbell, an image of Andrew and a story about his scouting award has been featured in the national press, with The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian both running the story.

Picture: Lorne Campbell / Guzelian