2008 has seen a real resurgence for Tredegar Band after they continued on their recent rich vein of form by taking the runner up prize at the Masters on the weekend.

Victories

Since the beginning of the year under the baton of MD Ian Porthouse, they have secured victories at the Welsh Regional Championship, South Wales Miners Eisteddfod and South East Wales Contest, second place at the Masters and third place at the Grand Shield.

More success

According to Band Manager Alwyn Powell though they are hopeful of more success to come. "The appointment of Ian Porthouse has been the catalyst for us. He has brought a real sense of confidence as well as a healthy work ethic back to the band and the players have responded.
We were disappointed that we missed out on a return to the British Open, but we put that behind us and worked exceptionally hard in the past fortnight to win at our local contest and them produce such a fine show here."

The players have given a great deal over the last few weeks in particular and I couldn’t have asked for anything more from themMD, Ian Porthouse

Given a great deal

Ian himself added; "The players have given a great deal over the last few weeks in particular and I couldn’t have asked for anything more from them. We are still rebuilding but are hungry for success. There is a lot to look forward to now for the band with a new CD in the pipeline and decisions to be made about possible contests later in the year. They can have a little rest and then it’s back to the hard work."

Move

Ian is now in the process of moving his family down to South Wales on a permanent basis – something he feels will be important to both him and the band. "It’s a move that should benefit us both as it means I can expand my teaching and conducting work down here whilst developing Tredegar into a consistent contesting force once more."