Cold Ash Brass appears to be a band which “bucks the trend” for declining interest and numbers in today’s brass bands.

Boast

Based near Junction 13 (Newbury) of the M4, Cold Ash Brass was formed just 5 years ago by five brass band enthusiasts who were looking for a challenge to breath new life into their banding. The band now boasts 33 members and are National Fourth Section Finalists.

Criteria

Paul Sanders, Band Secretary, told 4BR: "We set out 5 years ago with a number of criteria for our new band. Firstly, the whole thing must be fun – if your hobby stops being fun, its time to quit. Secondly, it had to be largely about young people."

Paul added: "If you don’t get the youngsters involved, the brass banding movement will literally die with their current members. Thirdly, we were not simply going to poach players from other bands – you can build a band like that and it doesn’t enhance the brass band movement."

When you are building a band, you have to live it and breathe it. Sad as it may sound, even if you are on a night out, the next band member may be standing in the next room!Band Secretary, Paul Sanders

Family involvement

Paul told 4BR that much of the success is down to hard graft from his family: "My wife Karen and I have built a database of nearly 200 names, and make a rule never to lose sight of a contact.

"My son Matthew now has ambitions to go on and study euphonium under Steven Meads or Robert Childs, and has brought in six of his friends. When you are building a band, you have to live it and breathe it. Sad as it may sound, even if you are on a night out, the next band member may be standing in the next room!"

Justice

Sadly the original conductor, Jim Brown, died of cancer aged 60. But Mike Clark has come in and has scarcely missed a practise in 3 years. When the band go to Harrogate, Mike is one of only 2 or 3 band members who have ever done such a thing before.

So now its Harrogate and the 'Shipbuilders'. The objective according to Paul is simple: "Do ourselves justice. The placing doesn’t matter if we have performed to the best of our ability."

The post Harrogate future

And after Harrogate, the work starts again with two principal players leaving to join a Championship Section Band.

Is that a problem? Not according to Paul.

"That’s what its all about. If they thrive in that environment, then we will have done our job. Plus four of the “teenage contingent” are heading off to University. But they will all be taking their instruments, so once again you can’t ask for more than that."