Background
Lyme Regis Town Band was re-formed in 1981 after a lapse of thirty years and supported by a donation from the making of ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ filmed in Lyme Regis during that year.
Local businessman Chris Chapman was a driving force in setting up the band and local publican Joe O’Donnell was appointed its first Musical Director. He was succeeded in 1985 by the late Pat Perry, who led the band until his retirement in 2005.
Under his leadership, the band established itself as an integral part of the town’s community and social activities. From the original fourteen members, it has grown to a full concert entertainment band of over thirty.
The main work of the band is in the summer months when it plays regularly to entertain both holidaymakers and locals. The most popular location is on Marine Parade Lyme Regis, where each Tuesday evening from the beginning of July until the end of August, the band presents a series of concerts aptly entitled “Music by the Sea”. Over the years, these have proved extremely popular, often attracting several hundred listeners on fine evenings. During this period, the band also gives several Sunday afternoon concerts in the same location.
The band is an integral part of the local community and is pleased to support other local organisations throughout the year, such as the Regatta and Carnival Committees, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the British Legion, the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis and local schools. However, a glance at our Engagements page will clearly show that the band’s engagements are not confined to Lyme Regis alone.
We enjoy an excellent reputation as a concert entertainment band, our players being capable of performing a wide range of music to a high standard and we are fortunate enough to have several accomplished soloists within our ranks.
History
There has been a town band in Lyme Regis since the beginning of the century except for a dormant period during the 1960s and 1970s. Photographic evidence suggests there was an active band in the town in the 1890s with one photograph showing a dozen or so heavily bearded and moustached players sharing a large communal music stand, apparently playing in an empty field.
Although it is known that that there was a thriving band in Lyme before the Second World War there is very little recorded evidence of its activities in the pre-war period. For the duration of the war, when many of the players were on active service, there were no performances, perhaps because the instruments were buried for safe keeping in the event of an invasion!
After the war the band entered a very successful period, when contests were entered and trophies were won. With many ex-servicemen in its number, marching was always a speciality and it is reputed that the band could march up a steep incline whilst playing “Death or Glory”.
Extract from the Crewkerne edition of the Somerset Mail dated 5th July 1951.
Caption reads: Lyme Regis Town Band playing their way from Market Square to Henhayes Field on Saturday in connection with Crewkerne’s Festival of Britain Band Concert. Lyme Regis were the first band off the mark and were far ahead of the others for deportment. Their marching was of military standard, and credit must be given to them for a well turned out band. In their ranks is a young lady of 14 years, Miss Anne Reed, who is a cornet player. Anne is well known in Lyme, her grandfather, Mr W. Emmett, was Mayor during the war years, and he was also a brass-band member playing the bass.
The highlight of the early post-war period was entertainment for local people and holidaymakers. Performances were given several nights a week in the summer season, either on Marine Parade or in the Marine Theatre. There were frequent concerts in the Marine Theatre featuring national celebrities with the band playing on the same bill as Terry Scott, Cardew Robinson and other famous names of the time.
Sadly in the late fifties with national service taking away many players and television competing for audiences, the band became dormant and the music and instruments were given away. This was the state of affairs in 1980 when Parlon Films gave £5,000 to the Chamber of Trade to compensate for inconvenience during the shooting of the classic film which was to win the resort worldwide publicity.
Timeline
1980
1980 The town receives the sum of £5,000 from Parlon Productions Limited who made the film The French Lieutenant’s Woman” in Lyme Regis.
1981
1981 Lyme Regis Town Band is reformed after a lapse of thirty years mainly due to the efforts of local bookseller, Chris Chapman, and receives a total of £3,081 from the film fund. Original membership was fourteen members.
On 8th April 1981 the first committee meeting was held at The Ship Inn with Joe O’Donnell in post as Bandmaster, Malcolm Street as Chairman, Geoff Rawlins as Treasurer and Chris Chapman as Secretary. A decision was made to allocate the sum of £2.5k for instruments. Some were on loan from Woodroffe School who it appeared had received the instruments from the former Town Band when it was disbanded.
Instruments were also being obtained from other bands in the local area, so all were secondhand. Efforts were also made to obtain music stands and music scores and to secure accommodation for regular weekly rehearsals. The decision to name the band Lyme Regis Town Band was also made at this meeting.
The first band rehearsal took place on Wednesday, 13th May 1981.
Band Members: Bandmaster : Joe O’Donnell Solo Cornet : Geoff Rawlins and Henry Blackmore 2nd Cornet: Dave Wright and Andrew Nicholson 3rd Cornet: Tina Colley and Simon Brooks Horn: Norman Enticott, Bob Moulding and Tim Riding 1st Trombone: Pat Perry and Jason Brooks 2nd Trombone: Tim Poole and Malcolm Street Bass Trombone: John Perry Baritone: John Case Euphonium: Jim Sweetland Eb Bass Gordon Broom and Eric Hodder Percussion: Joe Critchard
On 24th May 1981 an article with a photo appeared in the Sunday Telegraph about the re-formation of the band.
On Monday, 20th July 1981 LRTB performed for the first time at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, supporting The Bridport Silver Band. Compere for the evening was renowned BBC Jazz Presenter and personality, Mr Peter Clayton.
More players were joining, not only from Lyme Regis but from the surrounding area and gradually the stock of instruments was increasing and music was being purchased. At a committee meeting in September discussions were taking place as to the acquisition of suitable uniform.
An approach was made by Axminster Band to amalgamate with LRTB but this idea was not deemed as desirable by the committee. Negotiations were continuing with other bands re the purchase of instruments including correspondence with Haselbury Plucknett Band which had recently folded. At this point the value of LRTB instruments was estimated to be £1,680 and discussions took place in relation to insurance cover.
Jim Sweetland designed a possible band crest and enquiries were being made with a view to purchasing a supply of black sweatshirts bearing the crest as an interim uniform solution.
Christmas was very busy as in addition to the Christmas Concert the band was booked to play carols at the Rotary Christmas Tree and also at Uplyme Village Hall. The band also played carols in the streets around the town on 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd December and in the main street on Christmas Eve.
In December 1981 the band’s first newsletter “Band Call” was produced.
1982
Lyme Regis Town Band – 1982 Standing: Dave Wright Back Row: Chris Chapman, Jim Sweetland, Ian North, Eric Hodder, Geoff Rawlins, Helen Wood, Colin Wood, Gordon Broom, John Case, Pat Perry Middle Row: Lew Morey, Stephen Bennett, Vicky Morey, Sue Legg (nee Hodder), Joe O’Donnell (Bandmaster), Tim Poole, Tina Colley (now Paveley), Linda Tucker (now Nicholson), Norman Enticott Front Row: Michael Everett, Tim Riding, Simon Brooks, Jason Brooks, Malcolm Street
The Christmas Concert was a great success and the Christmas Bazaar raised
almost £200. The sum of £134 had been collected whilst carolling and the Jumble Sale raised £77. By now a Fund Raising Committee had been formed.
It was decided to start a Uniform Fund with an initial sum of £1,000. The target was £2,800 which would pay for twenty eight uniforms at £100 each.
Negotiations were taking place with LRTC re dates when the band would play on the seafront during the summer. This included supporting events organised by the RNLI for Lifeboat Week and the Regatta and Carnival Week.
The band’s first AGM took place on Monday, 5th April 1982 when John Broderick was appointed as the first President of the band. Initial enquiries were being made re the process for applying for Charitable Status. At the AGM it was decided to donate the original Silver Band Bass Drum to the Museum but unfortunately at that time they had insufficient space for it.
By the end of the year some instruments had been purchased including two horns, two baritones, and a cornet. A further two cornets which were surplus to requirements were purchased from Lyme Regis Junior Band - a completely separate entity to Lyme Regis Town Band.
1983
In 1983 the decision was made to go ahead and purchase thirty band jackets. The colour scarlet was selected and Lyme Regis Town Council agreed that the town crest could be included in the band logo. On 9th March 1983 an article appeared in the Midweek Herald entitled “Proud Day for Lyme” showing a photograph of Joe O’Donnell leading the band down Broad Street for the first time in 25 years, wearing their black sweatshirts.
By the end of 1983 the band had a constitution in place and was a registered Charity with the Charity Commission. Membership was up to forty two players, mostly locals. In addition the band was kitted out with uniform and had acquired sufficient instruments to accommodate all players, had a thriving learners section, was practising marching and had a full diary of engagements as well as a very active Fund Raising Committee.
1984
In 1984 the band took part in the Lyme Regis Charter 700 celebrations, the highlight of which was the visit of Princess Alexandra on 8th May. The bandmaster was amongst local dignitaries who were presented to HRH in front of the band.
In 1984 the BBC Songs of Praise programme visited Lyme Regis and the band took part in the broadcast.
Betty Broom donated The Gordon Broom Award to the band in memory of her late husband, founder band member Gordon Broom. The trophy is to be awarded annually to the band member who contributes most to the band and the first recipient was Pat Perry.
1985
Pat Perry takes over from Joe O’Donnell as Musical Director.
1991
New banners (white) were presented to the band by band supporter, Don Rogers of Southern Transport.
1992
Back Row: Jim Sweetland, John Case, Eric Hodder, Eric Canfield, Geoff Poulton, Malcolm Street Middle Row: George Ward, Dave Hallett, Phil Rattenbury, Mark ?, Geoff Rawlins, Dave Wright, Sue Hodder, Tina Colley, Jackie Case, Glen?, Glyn Rattenbury, Kevin Bass Front Row: Gavin Fowler, Dominic Bujniewicz, Michael Everett Snr, Joleen Saxon, Pat Perry (MD), John Evans, Viv Wright, Kathy Rattenbury, Julie Street On the floor: Tracy Edwards, Kelly Street, Louise White, Jonathan White
1993
The band visited Creully in Normandy on the weekend of 25th/26th September meeting local dignitaries and performing several concerts.
1995
Back Row: Jim Sweetland, Dave Hallett, Eric Hodder, John Evans, Glyn Rattenbury, Phil Rattenbury, Tina Colley (now Paveley), Michael Everett, Rod Ovey, John Warr, Eric Canfield Middle Row: Geoff Poulton, Gavin Fowler, George Ward, Tracy Edwards (now West), Jonathan White, Kathy Rattenbury (now Smith), Kelly Street, Sue Holder, Viv Wright, John Case, Malcolm Street Front Row: Vicky Turner (now O’Hara), Michelle Brown (now Bagshaw), Louise White, Dennis Bye, Pat Perry (Musical Director), Ian North, Daniel Fowler, Julie Street (now Durrant)
Note: the band has always been firmly family orientated and currently we have two brothers, two husbands and wives and a mother and son in the band. In this photo the links are: Jim Sweetland’s granddaughter, Tracy Edwards, and grandsons, Gavin & Daniel Fowler; Phil Rattenbury’s son, Glyn, and daughter, Kathy; Malcolm Street’s two daughters, Kelly and Julie; Pat Perry’s grandson, Michael Everett.
The band finally donated the old bass drum to the Philpot Museum. The drum was last used in the 1940s for the Wings for Victory Parade when it was played by a Mr Burrell. In a local newspaper article he explained that the drum was loaned during the war when Sgt Major Timber Loveridge formed the Lyme Regis Home Guard Bugle Band. Mr Burrell played the drum before it was returned to the Town Band in 1944. The Wings for Victory Parade was an all-Service event and the Bugle Band marched in front of the Navy.
1997
Controversy erupted when the band turned down an invitation to play for the British Legion dedication of their new standard as the band was no longer a marching band, due to the average age o f band members . Unfavourable coverage appeared in the local and national press although the band defended itself robustly.
1998
Back Row: Geoff Poulton, Jim Sweetland, Dave Hallett, John Warr, Phil Rattenbury, Rod Ovey, Michael Everett, Eric Hodder, John Evans, Daniel Fowler, John Case, Tina Colley, Dominic Bujniewicz, Eric Canfield
Middle Row: Tom Luckhurst, John Hallett, George Ward, Emma Gill, Sarah Orchard, Pauline Ovey, Jane Luckhurst, Amy Fowler, Julie Street, Michaela Croad, Kelly Street, Viv Wright, Geoff Rawlins, Malcolm Street
Front Row: Jonathan White, Kathy Rattenbury, Sue Hodder, Dennis Bye, Pat Perry (MD), Ian North, Gavin Fowler, Vicky Turner, John Powell
1999
During 1999 the band completed an impressive list of engagements supporting local organisations as follows:
Lyme Regis British Legion RNLI Rotary Club Lyme Regis Regatta Lyme Regis Boys Club Over 70s Dinner Fund Joseph Weld Axe Valley Show St Johns Ambulance Devon Air Ambulance Flamingo Pool Weymouth Christmas Show Tescos Charmouth Fire Service Abbotsbury Gardens Kilmington Flower Show Melplash Show Chideock Songs of Praise Churches Together Whitford Flower Show Leisure Centre Seaton Chamber of Trade Hawkchurch Wedding Cheese and Wine, Uplyme Civic Church Service Axminster Church
Three Shires RFC (With The Treorchy Choir helping to raise £5,000 for the Three Shires RFC Trip to South Africa)
Woodroffe School (two concerts for School Choir) Wedding at the Bay Hotel Hosted a visiting German Band Trip to Creully in France which included two concerts
Five nursing homes at Christmas Carols around the town and Rotary Carols around the tree TV appearances: BBC Songs of Praise and “Wish you were here” from the Cobb Ten concerts from the end of June to 1st September on Marine Parade Total: twenty four summer concerts and fifteen appearances from November to December.
2000
Back Row: David/John (?) Jonathan White, Amy Fowler, George Ward Next Row down: Luke Luckhurst, Gemma Wilson, Sue Hodder, John Powell, Dennis Bye, Ian North, Kathy Rattenbury, Liz Carter, Jane Luckhurst, Pauline Ovey Next Row down: Val Mahony, Geoff Rawlins, John Evans, Sam Pearson, Peter Woodford, Tom Luckhurst, Adrian Pearson, Terry Vince, Malcolm Street, Viv Wright, Daniel Grose Front Row: Eric Hodder, John Warr, Roger Grose, Philip Evans (President), Pat Perry (MD), Danny Hopkins (Secretary), Jim Sweetland, Andrew Nicholson, Rod Ovey
In 2000 the band’s bid to secure Lottery funding was unsuccessful. The bid, spearheaded by Danny Hopkins , the then Secretary, was for £14,000 to purchase new instruments but it was turned down as few people were involved in band activities.
The band produced a cassette of “Music by the Sea”
2001
A 20th Anniversary Dinner was held at the Golf Club on Saturday, 13th October 2001.
The band took delivery of a brand new Bach Trombone which was awarded to the band under the BTS/Boosey & Hawkes Y2K scheme.
The instrument was handed to 16 year old band member, Tom Luckhurst, who made good use of it.
2002
In April 2002 the band recorded a CD at the Woodmead Halls. It was called “Highlights in Brass” and comprised fourteen tracks.
2005
Back Row: Matt Luckhurst, Eric Wood, Ian North, Luke Luckhurst, Tom Luckhurst, Adrian Pearson
Middle Row: Des Moore, Liz Carter, Kathy Smith, Viv Wright, Amy Fowler, Ron Marraner, Daniel Grose, Jan Long, Pauline Ovey, Gemma Wilson, John Hallett, Terry Vince, Malcolm Street
Front Row: Jim Sweetland, John Warr, Heather Marraner, Val Mahoney, Peter Bean (President) John Powell (MD), Roger Grose, John Pick, Rod Ovey, Eric Hodder
2007
Back Row: Tom Luckhurst, Adrian Pearson, Matt Luckhurst, Luke Luckhurst, Peter Woodford, Gemma Wilson, Ian North, Joe Turner Middle Row: Catherine Voysey, Ted Colley, ?????, Shirley Colley, Viv Wright, Heather Marraner, Pauline Ovey, Jane Luckhurst, Jan Long, John Hallett, Angie Taylor, Des Moore Front Row: Eric Hodder, John Warr, Ron Marraner, Val Mahoney, John Powell (MD), Gilly Warr (Secretary), Roger Grose, John Pick, Heidi Long, Rod Ovey
In 2007 Jim Sweetland retired from the band after twenty six years service. He was Chairman for 18 years. Jim was given a Lifetime Membership Award presented to him by band Chairman, Val Mahoney. John Evans also stood down as Treasurer after fourteen years service.
In April 2007 the band produced a second CD, “Music by the Sea”, again recorded at Woodmead Halls. Three hundred copies were made all of which were sold to friends of the band, summer visitors etc.
2008
2008 was a busy year for the band - In August a joint concert with Wantage Silver Band was held on Marine Parade. Wantage were visiting the area and both bands greatly enjoyed playing together.
In September band members had an “away day” when a coach was hired and the band played in the bandstand in Bournemouth Gardens. This event was followed by a concert in support of popular band member, Ian North, and his family. Ian had been struck down by severe illness and was unable to play. He was a talented musician who was greatly missed.
The final event for the band in 2008 was to organise a workshop which took place in October 2008 when Philip Harper, a well respected conductor of national repute, spent the day with the band sharing his expertise. Players from other local bands also attended and everyone greatly benefited from the experience. Philip made several visits to the band for future workshops all of which were very successful.
2010
In 2010 former bandmaster, Joe O’Donnell passed away. Joe was the bandmaster when the band re-formed in 1981 and is remembered with great affection by the band.
This year, in an effort to raise much needed funds, it was decided to run a raffle with prizes of £150, £100 and £50. 3,000 tickets were printed and eventually sold raising over a profit of over £1k.
2011
In April 2011 the band organised a very successful concert at Woodmead Halls to mark St George’s Day. The hall was festooned with flags and suitable stirring music was selected by band MD, John Powell. The concert was a sell out and greatly enjoyed by the band and all those who attended.
2015
In January 2015 John Powell resigned as Musical Director after many years of dedicated service and the baton was taken over by Brian Scott. Brian’s first engagement as MD was when the band played at a big wedding in Chideock Manor in May. We played outside in the beautiful grounds which not only featured a large marquee for the guests but also a full size fairground merry-go-round. In 2015 the band also held a joint concert with another band on the seafront in Lyme. This time we were joined by Ottery Band on Sunday, 16th August.
2016
In April 2016 the band was pleased to take part in local celebrations for the Queen’s Birthday and we played outside the Marine Theatre at the Lighting of a Beacon to mark the occasion.
Another band workshop was organised in June 2016 when Steve Sykes joined us for a very interesting and informative day. Steve was accompanied by his wife and son, also accomplished musicians, who provided expert tuition to various sections of the band. Once again the workshop was shared with members from other bands in the area
Back row: Viv Wright, Debbie Woehrle, Kathy Rattenbury, Harry Ockendon, David Tozer, Luke Luckhurst, Catherine Poulton, Henry Clark, Adrian Pearson, Geoff Poulton, Andy Barter, Robert Poulton, John Hallett
Front row: Gilly Warr, Jane Herbert, John Warr, Brian Scott (MD), Owen Lovell (President), Paul Snowball, Robert Crabbe, Caroline Holland. Mark Haskins
2017
The band has always stood out in its smart bright red jackets with black lapels which were introduced in the late 1980s when the band re-formed. However these can be quite hot in the summer months and often end up on the back of our chairs. Therefore in 2017 red waistcoats were introduced as an alternative and have proved to be a most welcome addition to our uniform.
Over the years the band has established close relationships with not only local organisations but also individuals in our area. A good example is the relationship forged with the Mackenzie family from Hawkchurch. The band has played in the grounds of their home on many family occasions celebrating weddings, birthdays and anniversaries and in July 2017 we joined them yet again to celebrate a Golden Wedding Anniversary.
To give an idea of the scope of band activities these are the events we have taken part in in over the years since the band was re-formed:
Kilmington Flower Show, Colyton Church Carnival Service, Branscombe Songs of Praise, Songs of Praise at Seatown, Axe Vale Festival, Cotleigh Fete, St Michael’s Summer Fete,
Services of Remembrance, Axminster Methodist Church Harvest Service, Axminster Rotary Christmas Festival, Christmas Carols at local care homes, Christmas Fayre at Weycroft Manor, a visit to Pecorama in Seaton, a garden party at the New Inn in Kilmington, Civic Service in Lyme Regis, RNLI Week and Carnival Week.
We are a very busy band and are very much at the heart of our local community.
2018
In 2018 David Tozer took over as Musical Director and the band continued with a full programme of engagements. In addition to regular performances on the Marine Parade throughout July and August these included taking part in the Candles on the Cobb event organised by the Rotary Club on 26th August 2018 and a very successful Festival of Remembrance Concert arranged by the Royal British Legion at Woodmead Halls on Sunday, 28th October.
Back Row: Ellis Holt, Kathy Rattenbury, Enzo Migliari, Catherine Poulton, John Hallett, Orlando Migliari, Geoff Poulton, Jonathan Galvin Mayes, Andy Barter, Adrian Pearson Front Row: Brian Scott, John Warr, Lynne Greenfield, Viv Wright, David Tozer (MD), Gilly Warr, Debbie Woehrle, Christian Galvin, Robert Crabbe
2020
In 2020, along with the whole of the country, the band went into lockdown, which severely curtailed our activities. Band members were encouraged to practise at home and various zoom meetings were organised. However in order to keep the band together and to maintain morale David our MD selected two pieces for us to work on at home, Amarillo and
Barnard Castle. He provided a backing track for us and, stretching our IT skills to their limits, each player had to record their part. These miscellaneous offerings were then emailed to David who wove them together into a passable performance of each piece which was uploaded onto our Facebook page. It wasn’t our best performance by any means but it showed that we were still out there, alive and kicking, and it kept us all going until we could get back together.
We did manage one performance during lockdown when we played for an outdoor Christmas Carol Service in the car park at Woodmead Halls organised by Alan Vian. We sat appropriately apart from each other and the “congregation” were in their cars with the windows open, peeping their horns when asked to do so! It was a strange but lovely experience.
2022
Back Row: Josh Denning, Enzo Migliari, Kathy Rattenbury, Catherine Poulton, Jonathan Galvin Mayes, Andy Barter, Adrian Pearson, Geoff Poulton, John Warr, Christian Galvin, Gilly Warr, Viv Wright, Orlando Migliari, Robert Poulton
Front Row: Brian Scott, Lynne Greenfield, John Hallett, Stuart Broom, David Tozer (MD), Owen Lovell (President), Ellis Holt, Derek Hallett (Trustee), John Evans (Trustee), Debbie Wöhrle, Robert Crabbe
In 2022 the decision was made to change our band logo and a new design was chosen which now appears on our ties and all our advertising material.
This was also the year that we decided to hold another band workshop and on Sunday, 23rd October we welcomed three professional musicians from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra who joined us at Axminster County Primary School. Our tutors were Andy Cresci (euphonium and bass), Peter Turnbull (cornet and horn) and Kevin Morgan (trombone). On the day we welcomed fifty players from ten brass bands across four counties who joined us for a very interesting and informative day. The workshop concluded with a short concert featuring all the pieces we had worked on, which was attended by family and friends. The Mayor of Lyme Regis, Councillor Michaela Ellis, was also present, representing Lyme Regis Town Council, who had provided grant funds which helped towards the cost of putting on the workshop.
2023
In 2023 the band decided to go way out of its comfort zone and take part in Bandemonium, a band festival open to brass bands from across the country who converged on Hatherleigh in North Devon for a day of fun. All bands visited five village locations in turn, moving between them via a series of coaches, performing a short concert at each location. A party of fourteen brave souls from Lyme Regis Town Band took part in the festival. The band was able to participate in this event thanks to funding from the Rotary Club of Lyme Regis who provided a grant from monies raised at Candles on the Cobb which was used to cover transport costs.
On Sunday, 28th October 2023 we held another band workshop, this time in conjunction with professionals from Flowers Band. We were joined at Charmouth Primary School by Luke Barker on cornet, Emily Evans on horn, Matt Rowe on low brass who was also the conductor, Rob Wilshaw on trombone and Gregor Spence on bass. Once again we had a very successful and enjoyable day which was rounded off with a short concert.
2024
2024 has proved to be a very busy year. In April the band organised a concert at Axminster Guildhall, entitled “Music to Make you Smile”, which was a huge success. Then in July our most ambitious project yet - a concert at Woodmead Halls in Lyme Regis with a 1940s theme. We invited the very popular Blackdown Acapella to join us as guest artists, we decorated the hall with flags, bunting and props, and everyone, including the band dressed according to the period. The concert was a sell out and very well received.
After a busy summer season of very successful concerts on the seafront the band is now planning another workshop, to be held on Sunday, 26th October 2024. This will take place at Charmouth Primary School and on this occasion we have invited professional musicians from the much acclaimed GUS Band. We will be joined by Jack Wilson on solo soprano cornet, Savannah Bone on solo trombone and Mark Probert on solo B Flat bass.
Throughout its long history a top priority for the band has been to encourage others to learn to play an instrument and in 2024 we welcomed a new tranche of learners, including nine adults and one youngster, who are all keen to learn and are doing well.
After a busy Christmas period in January the band began work on new music not only in preparation for our summer concerts on the Marine Parade but also for two new events which the committee had planned.
The band has several regular commitments in the town, supporting other local organisations, eg RNLI Blessing the Boats in May, the Mayor’s Civic Service in June, Carnival Week in August, Carols for the Rotary Club in December etc and we are always pleased to take part in such events.
Mayor’s Civic Service - June 2024
Blessing the Boats - May 2024
However we like a bit of variety and are also pleased to play a bit further afield. To this end it was decided to hold a concert at Axminster Guildhall in April. This was themed “Music to make you smile” and it turned out to be a huge success. The venue was superb, plenty of room on stage for the band, and a large auditorium that we managed to fill. The Guildhall staff went out of their way to look after us and as well as enjoying ourselves we also manage to raise some much needed funds for the band.
In July we staged our most ambitious event when we organised a 1940’s themed concert at Woodmead Halls which we called a “Musical Tea Party”. Axminster Drama Club kindly lent us a variety of props which we used to decorate the hall appropriately. The band and the audience were asked to dress according to the period, there was a very successful raffle and the bar was open. For refreshments the audience was asked to bring their own picnic.
The band played a lively programme of 1940s hits but the highlight of the evening was a guest appearance by Blackdown Accapella. Their appearance completed a very successful and enjoyable evening.
Preparations for our summer concerts began with the purchase of a new banner for the railings on the seafront and also we decided to try out some band merchandise. A quantity of cotton tote bags featuring the band logo were purchased and proved to be a great hit with our audiences. We sold over one hundred and we plan to introduce other items of band merchandise in future.
Our summer concerts and July and August went very well. On the whole the weather was kind to us and we didn’t miss a single date although one Tuesday evening in July was a bit wet and windy. We were joined by several guest players including Julie and Rachel on Solo Horn, John and Matt on bass, Henry on Euphonium and Glynn on percussion. Annette and Josh did sterling work as our collectors, particularly Annette who handled all transactions on our new credit card machine including sales of merchandise. We made good use of the additional percussion instruments which we were able to purchase thanks to grant funds from the Carnival Committee and the audience greatly enjoyed using these to join in with us.
In October, following his success as the ITV Westcountry regional winner for Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year Awards, Josh and his Mum, Annette, went up to London for the finals where they rubbed shoulders with film stars, TV personalities, etc.
Although Josh did not win his section he had the most amazing time and his family and many friends and supporters held a party at the Football Club to celebrate his achievements. Josh chose four local charities, including the band, to benefit from donations made at the party and he attended band practice afterwards to present the proceeds to Ellis. As we said on our Facebook page, Josh is the gift that keeps on giving and we are very grateful to him for all the help he gives the band in so many ways.
On Saturday we welcomed Savannah, Mark and Jake from GUS Band who joined us for a workshop at Charmouth Primary School. This event was attended by the majority of our band members but also players from a total of twelve bands, from across the South West. We spent the day working on five pieces - Bare Necessities, Neverland, Star Lake, Prismatic Light and In Perfect Peace.
The afternoon culminated in a concert attended by our President, Owen Lovell, the Mayor and Mayoress of Lyme Regis, Councillor Philip Evans and Mrs Evans and family, friends and supporters of the band. We were able to hold this event thanks to financial support from Lyme Regis Town Council and Charmouth Parish Council. This was the third time we have held a Workshop and the general feeling was that it was the best one yet.
Remembrance is always an important date in everyone’s diary and for the band it is doubly so. We attended the Remembrance Service in St Michael’s Church in Lyme Regis where Enzo played an excellent rendition of “Abide with Me” from the organ loft prior to the service. Afterwards the congregation gathered in the Square where the Band played the National Anthem.
The following day a small group of us visited Thorncombe Primary School. The children have been learning about musical instruments so we went along to play some carols for them in assembly. We then took a selection of brass instruments into their classrooms where Ellis talked about each one and every child, and some of the teaching staff, had the opportunity to play them all.
The children did amazingly well particularly when they realised that part of the technique required was to blow a raspberry! There are some excellent raspberry blowers in Thorncombe! Before we left the school we all went out into the playground where Ellis played Last Post and Reveille. The children observed the minutes silence perfectly and we greatly enjoyed our time with them.
And so our year came to an end with an exciting programme of Christmas events which began with a visit to Bymead Nursing Home in Charmouth on Thursday, 5th December where we played carols for the residents. We took our bag of percussion instruments with us and many of them enjoyed singing and playing along with us.
The band at Bymead Nursing Home in Charmouth
Shortly after that we held a joint concert with Uplyme Gospel Choir and Hawkchurch Choir at Uplyme Village Hall on Tuesday, 10th December. We had a lovely evening with the choirs and a very appreciative audience, but we hardly had time to catch our breath before we headed off to All Saints the following evening where we took part in the All Saints Christmas Concert.
We’ve visited All Saints for more years than we care to remember and as usual we were thoroughly entertained by the other talented performers who shared the stage with us. We are already booked to play there again next year!
Sunday, 15th December saw us combining two playing engagement with a bit of a social event. We gathered at Pebbles Coffee Shop in Seaton at 12.30 pm so we could all tuck in to some bacon butties and hot drinks before we set off to play outside Tescos at 2.00 pm. A trip to Pebbles is now a regular activity for the band and they made us so welcome that we had to tear ourselves away when it was time to head to Tesco. We rounded up the afternoon with a visit to Thornfield Care Home in Seaton, to play carols for the residents.
Following a few days off we next headed to Axminster Guildhall, where we had held a concert earlier in the year. It's a lovely venue and we were very pleased to be returning to play at a free concert on the afternoon on Sunday, 22nd December. Throughout our Christmas concerts we have played Posthorn Gallop which features a solo performance by Ellis on our newly purchased Posthorn. It's a real show stopper and has gone down extremely well with our audiences.
The Rotary Carols Around the Tree on Monday, 23rd December is one of the most popular events in the town’s calendar and draws a huge crowd, all keen to belt out some carols. The band usually plays beside the Christmas tree but this year we played on the pavement above for a change which meant that more people were able to see us and hear us. Just in case anyone missed us we were back beside the tree on the morning of Christmas Eve for an hour entertaining last minute shoppers.
All in all we have had an amazing year. We welcomed an encouraging number of new players, we inserted three new concerts into our already packed programme of engagements and we had a lovely season of concerts on the seafront throughout July and August culminating in our Last Night on the Prom on 27th August when we closed with Auld Lang Syne - so fitting as so many of out audience return year after year and our band concerts are an integral part of the summer holidays.
In the New Year we will start planning our activities for next year and we have lots of exciting plans for 2025 not least being an “away day” to play at Swanage Bandstand.
As ever we remain extremely grateful to Rob James for his amazing photos and for letting us use them in our publicity material.
