The most South Westerly town in the UK, Helston have been celebrating their First Section win in Torquay on Saturday and now look forward to promotion in the Championship Section, not forgetting a crack at the National title in September.

Proud

John Hitchens, Helston Town's MD since 2002 told 4BR how proud he was of his players. 'I'm delighted with the result and our performance and I'm exceptionally proud of the players. They've worked so hard for me and done everything I have asked them to do, they've responded in a truly professional manner and it's great to win the title once again'.

Team spirit

I'm delighted with the result and our performance and I'm exceptionally proud of the players. They've worked so hard for me and done everything I have asked them to do, they've responded in a truly professional mannerJohn Hitchens

Two years ago, Helston went to Torquay in need of a result just to stay in the First Section and they won and have never looked back since. Asked if there was any key to the success, John reinforced the point of the team spirit within the band.

'Around 18 or 19 players within the band live in Helston and they have pride in what they do, the band matters to them as individuals and they are a united bunch, great friends and win and lose together. Since the win 2006, there has only been one personnel change and that has allowed the band to gel together, learn together and I've always wanted to see how far we can go — they're a pleasure to work with'.

Tough test

Reflecting on James Cook-Circumnavigator and their performance and the keys to success, John added 'It's a hard piece, but an enjoyable one. I'm maticulous about clarity, dynamics and tempo's. The band know what i'm like and know what i want and these for me were important issues in conveying the right kind of interpretation for the judges'.

Championship status

Having won in 2006, third in 2007 and winners again in 2008, the band will now compete against the big guns in the Championship Section. John went on 'For the band it won't come soon enough. A number of them have never played in the Championship Section before and perhaps if we had gone up last year, it could have been a year too early; the extra year has been good for the band in many ways but they'll be eager to give a good account of themselves'.

Harrogate

Before that though, the band will return to Harrogate in the autumn for a crack at the National title and John feels that the experience of 2006 can only benefit the band. 'We now know what the whole thing is like to the hall, the acoustic, the build up, the travelling and everything else involved and we'll just look forward to it and enjoy the challenge'.

Feet on the ground

Prior to Harrogate though, its another busy year for the band and that doesn't include the fund raising to get to North Yorkshire. 'The band has celebrated and enjoyed itself with an official celebration in The Red Lion on Sunday, but the hard work for the rest of the year starts again from our next rehearsal. We will keep our feet very firmly on the ground and continue to maintain the standards we've set ourselves'.