Band News

A Warm Welcome to Ian Dickinson

The band is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Dickinson as our new Musical Director. Ian Studied music at the Cambridge College of Arts & Technology in the 1970‘s. He moved to Bristol in 1974 to join the Stanshawe Band, which later became the Sun Life Band (SLB).

Ian spent 20 very successful years with SLB, initially as Assistant Principal Cornet and then on Flugel Horn.  Apart from traveling much of Europe and performing regularly for the BBC and recording many records and CDs, the band had many competition successes, including the runners up awards at both National & British Open Championships, culminating in gaining the Open Champions title in 1990, followed by The World Music Festival title in Kerkrade in 1992.

Ian has been conducting bands for many years and until recently had a very successful spell with Portishead Town Band, whose rapid progress saw them rise from the Second Section up to the Championship Section under his direction.

Ian brings a wealth of experience, both as a player and a conductor.  The band is excited by his appointment and looks forward to working with him in the next chapter of our long history.

A Happy New Year 2012

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the band’s friends and supporters for their brilliant support during 2011.  Also, huge thanks to the band members for their efforts over the year, and particularly during the marathon 2012 carolling programme. A big thanks too to our army of collectors who did such a marvelous job for us!

A Big Thank You to Dennis Grant

2012 begins with the band due to appoint a new Musical Director, as Dennis Grant decided to leave the band at the end of 2011. Dennis joined the band 7 years ago and we enjoyed some fantastic results at the Area contests which saw the band promoted into the Second Section, and attending the National Finals in Harrogate in 2007. Dennis was a loyal and hard working Musical Director, missing only a handful of rehearsals in the entire time he spent with us. The band is truly grateful to Dennis for all this hard work and commitment and wishes him and his family all the best for the future.

A Fond Farewell

Sadly, this year also sees the retirement of two of its longest standing members, Jenny and Alan Lovell who have been with the band for a total of 80 years!  We thank Jenny and Alan for all their hard work over the years, particularly Jenny who spent many years running the band as Band Secretary, and was also the band’s longest serving member (hence the little collage of photo memories below!).  We wish them all the very best for a happy retirement and also hope they will keep in touch.


Kingswood - Wotton - Paris

2012 also sees the band’s first overseas trip.  We will be visiting France in June, playing in Beaumont le Roger (twin town of Wotton-under-Edge), and in Paris at Jardin du Luxembourg and Disneyland.  We have begun fundraising in earnest to help with the cost of the tour.

Win A Band Concert for £10 !!

We are holding a draw where the prize is a concert by Wotton Silver Band at a time of date of your choice.  This could be an event you run annually, a special celebration (wedding, birthday party), or a fund raising event of your own, and could be inside or outside.  To enter, all you need to do is send us a cheque made payable to ‘Wotton Silver Band’ or transfer us the money and we will send you a ticket.

For further details contact Jo on 01453 887774 or jo.woodman2@gmail.com.

December News

As always, December was an extremely busy month for the band with 2 Christmas Concerts and 20 carolling engagements at local supermarkets and town centres.

Sunday 4th was the evening of our annual Christmas Concert at Kingswood Village Hall. The band played a selection of music, including solos ‘Trumpeter’s Lullaby’ from Charlie Poole on Cornet and ‘Benedictus’ from Alan Bruton on Euphonium.  The second half was made up entirely of Christmas music and included the solo ‘When a Child is Born’ from Dave McWhirter on Trombone.  The concert also featured Wotton Training Band playing two programmes that included ‘Hall of the Mountain King’ and ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’.  The concert also included a raffle, expertly (and entertainingly) run by solo cornet player Mark Hale, and the auction of a beautiful bird table that was donated (and created) by the band’s retired Euphonium player, Stan Rodman.

The concert was a great success and our thanks go to all those who helped with its organisation.  Special thanks go to Julie & Geoff Ashby, Lucy & Nigel Seddon, Robert & Suzanne Warr, Nora Chappell and Gill Waugh for decorating the hall, and providing the refreshments.  Also a big thanks to Diane Ansell and her helpers for all their hard work that resulted in an outstanding performance from the training band.

On Wednesday 7th, the band played a joint concert with Yate Choral Society in aid of Chipping Sodbury Lions.  This has become an annual event for the band and is a great evening of Seasonal music, leaving everyone in really Christmassy spirits!

A Sad Goodbye
Sadly, this month the band said goodbye to member and supporter of the band Simon Tutty, playing at his funeral on Friday 16th.  Simon played percussion with the band for many years and continued to be a valued supporter of the band, in latter years laying the poppy wreath on the band’s behalf on Remembrance Sunday.  Simon’s son David continues to help out the band on Eb Bass when he isn’t doing his day job - playing with the Coldstream Guards - and are thoughts are with Simon’s family at this sad time.

A Tragic Loss
It is with great sadness that we write about the sudden loss of a much loved and admired band member, Simon Foxley, who tragically died on Wednesday 21st September 2011 aged just 21. The band members and supporters are devastated by this terrible loss, we miss Simon so very much and our hearts go out to Simon’s family - Diane, Graham, Gary and David. On Saturday 22nd October the band took part in a terribly sad day.  Players from both Wotton and Nailsworth Bands together with other musicians who knew Simon played at his funeral. 

It was a very moving day with beautiful tributes and fond memories given by Simon’s family.
Simon was not only a talented percussionist but also a kind, generous and thoughtful friend who will be sorely missed, but never forgotten.

November News
On Sunday 13th November the band took part in remembrance parades and services at Wotton in the morning and at Dursley in the afternoon.  Sadly these were the last Wotton engagements for brothers Kieran and Ryan Morgan, and we wish them well in their future banding ventures.

October News
On Saturday 29th October the band played for Dursley and Cam Royal British Legion at their ‘Poppy Proms’ Concert at Listers Hall, Dursley.  The audience were also entertained by a street entertainer, Panache Steel Band and vocalist Sasha Northover.  The concert concluded with the band and Sasha performing all the traditional ‘Last Night’ favourites (Pomp and Circumstance, Fantasia on British Sea Songs and Jerusalem).

On Friday 14th October at 7.30, the band performed a concert of film music including music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and also old favourites such as Tara’s Theme from Love Story.  The concert featured four soloists from the main band - Jon Woodman (Flugel Horn) played Concerto de Aranjuez from Brassed Off, Bruce Davies (Soprano Cornet) played Live and Let Die, Kieran Morgan (Eb Bass) played Bare Necessities and Alan Bruton and Pete Stanulewicz played Euphonium Duet ‘Well Did You Eva’.  The audience were also treated to two performances by Wotton Training Band.

On 24th September the band played in the beautiful village of Alderley just outside Wotton, entertaining guests at a wedding.  The performance was kept secret from the bride who was (thankfully) delighted to hear the band as she left the church.  The band then led a procession of guests to the tune of ‘Congratulations’ back to the family garden where we entertained the guests during their pre-reception drinks.

Tour to France 2012

For the first time in its 117 year history the band is going on tour (outside Gloucestershire!).  Next year we will be travelling to France - Firstly to Wotton's twin town, Beaumont-le-Roger in Normandy, to perform a concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the twinning arrangement, and then on to Paris to play 2 further concerts (details will be confirmed at a later date).

A tour committee, led by Soprano player Bruce Davies, has been set up to co-ordinate the tour which will run from 2nd to 6th June 2012.  (For details of committee members and contact details please click here).

This is a huge event for the band.  About 40 adults and children will be travelling to france at a cost of around £16,000.  Most of the cost will be met by the band members, but to make the trip possible for everyone, we have set a fund raising target of £5,000 which we aim to make through extra activities and support from the community.
Some of the fundraising activities we have planned in the near future are ...

An Extra Busy Christmas

Whilst much of December is always spent playing carols around the local area, the band has taken on even more venues than usual this year with any additional income above our usual Christmas takings to be added to the tour fund.  (See our Engagements page for a full list of our Christmas timetable).

Band 100 Club

The band 100 Club was set up in August and is already doing well.  Members pay £4 per month and each month a winner receives 50% of the takings.  We send our thanks to Eb Bass player Brian Cummings for organising the club & also congratulate him for being the first prize winner for August!!  If you would be interested in joining the 100 club, please contact Brian

September News
The band is now busy preparing for two concerts taking place in October, our own 'Evening at the Movies' concert at Kingswood Village Hall on Friday 14th October and the 'Poppy Proms' for Dursley and Cam Royal British Legion on Saturday 29th October.

On Saturday 10th September the band held a skittles evening at The Full Moon in Synwell, Wotton.  This was a great social evening, and also gave us the opportunity to 'kick start' the fundraising for our French Trip.  Our thanks go to Jenny Lovell for organising this fun event!  (and our congratulations also go to Jenny for winning the 'Killer' skittles game ... FIX??)

On Bank Holiday Sunday the band played in the bandstand at Stratford Park, Stroud.  Despite rather cold weather, quite a large crowd of spectators watched the performance that featured solos from the band's younger players - Charlie Poole on Cornet, Ryan Morgan on Trombone and Kieran Morgan on Eb Bass.  Afterwards we were all invited to a BBQ by our Cornet player Mac Chappell and his wife Clare who live in nearby Bisley.  A great evening was had by all and we send our thanks to Mac, Clare & their son Gareth who did a splendid job cooking the burgers!

August News

On Saturday 6th August the band played at the lovely Cotswold village of Cold Aston for their annual Summer Fayre. The village’s roads are closed to traffic for the fayre an it seems that the whole community takes part in this well-organised event. The band played a varied programme including film music from ‘Out of Africa’ and ‘Braveheart’.

The band is now planning in earnest for its first band tour that takes place next June. We intend to visit Wotton’s twin town, Beaumont le Roger in Normandy, and then travel on to Paris - playing concerts on the way. Over the next months we plan to be arranging events to help raise funds for the French trip, so there will be more news to come!

Our concert featured solos ‘I Don’t Know How To Love Him’ from Jon Woodman on Flugel and perhaps more appropriately, ‘The Wedding’ from Alan Bruton on Euphonium!



On Saturday 9th July the band played at the annual church fete at St Mary's Church, Wotton-under-Edge.  It looked like rain could stop play just before we started, but as the afternoon developed the sun broke through putting some of our fellas in danger of burnt heads (as we can see from the great photo that our 3rd Cornet player Allison Gabb took from the top of the church tower).

June News

On Saturday 11th June the band played at Dursley Rugby Club’s Summer Festival. The audience were most appreciative, despite the unsettled weather that forced the band to play inside while many of the activities took place outside. Nonetheless, we are hoping that this will become one of our regular engagements and hope for more reliable weather next year!



On the evening of Sunday 12th June we played for the 2011 Stinchcombe Proms in aid of St Cyrs Church. As last year, the event was very well supported and expertly compered by Terry Pascoe. The band’s programme featured the band’s younger soloists - Charlie Poole on Cornet played ‘Share My Yoke’, Ryan Morgan on Trombone played ‘Star Dust’ and Kieran Morgan on Eb Bass played ‘Bare Necessities’. The second half of the concert included all the ‘Last Night’ favourites - Jerusalem, Fantasia on British Sea Songs and Pomp and Circumstance, and the wonderful Sasha Northover joined the band as the traditional ‘Last Night’ Soprano.

Sadly, further unsettled June weather led to the cancellation of the band’s performance at the Hillesley village fete on Saturday 18th. This event has been one of the band’s regular engagements for some 30 years, so we hope both the band and the sun can return to Hillesley next year!

May News

The band (as it has done for the last 101 years) began it’s summer programme with its concert on Wotton Hill, welcoming the Spring with marches and hymns on the first Sunday in May. 

We thank good friend of the band, Gordon Phillips for conducting the band on May morning and also thank our special part-time bass player - David Tutty (more details below).

The performance concluded with the march ‘Wotton Hill’, written for the band in 2010 by local composer - Steve Rockey, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of playing on the hill.

Wotton Hill - by Royal Appointment?

The band were delighted to be joined by David Tutty on Wotton Hill and at Tytherington fete this year. 

We are always pleased to see Dave when he is not doing his day job, playing with the band of the Coldstream Guards.  However, this year we were especially thrilled that he had made the effort to join us on the hill, when just two days earlier he was playing to entertain the crowds in The Mall for the Royal Wedding!

Tytherington May Day Fete

As in previous years the band played at Tytherington on May Bank Holiday Monday.  Our varied programme included a selection from West Side Story, Tequila and the theme tune from Hawaii Five O.

A New Arrival

The band are delighted to announce the safe arrival of Leonard Ansell on Thursday 12th May.  Weighing in at 8lbs 9oz, Leonard is the new baby son of our cornet player (and Training Band leader) Diane & husband Gareth.  Leonard is a brother for Tilly (Wotton Training Band), Oscar & Stanley, so we will be expecting Diane to be back with us in no time, as we don’t want her getting bored!

Bath Parade Gardens

On Sunday 15th May the band played at the bandstand in the beautiful Parade Gardens in the centre of Bath.  Our programme included four solos - Share my Yoke from Charlie Poole on Cornet, Bubbles was a Cheerleader from Bruce Davies on Soprano Cornet, Catari Catari from Alan Bruton on Euphonium and Bare Necessities from Kieran Morgan on Eb Bass. 



Unfortunately, the cold weather meant that the audience was smaller than it has been in the past, but those who did brave the elements were extremely appreciative.  Special thanks to our hardy supporters!

Band Personnel

The band are delighted to welcome Ruth Rusling who joins the band’s solo cornet team.  Ruth has recently moved to the area, and brings a wealth of experience from her time playing with higher section bands in the North.

April News

Last month the band travelled down to a very warm and sunny Torquay to take part in the West of England Regional Championships, held at the Riviera International Conference Centre.
The adjudicators, David Lancaster and Ian Browbill both remarked that the test piece ‘Resurgam’ had been extremely challenging, both musically and technically for all the bands in our section.

Nonetheless, most of us felt happy with our performance on the day, which included some fine playing from the band’s soloists.

February News

Most of the band’s efforts are currently focussed on rehearsals for the GBBA Championships in March at the Riviera Centre Torquay.  We are making good progress with ‘Resurgam’, which has some truly beautiful moments.

Well done Charlie!

Also in our news this month is our 3rd Cornet player, Charlie Poole, who was honoured to be invited by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) to participate in their prestigious high scorer’s concert.  The 27 students who participated in the concert were all singled out by the ABRSM for gaining scores in excess of distinction in their recent graded examinations.

Charlie was the only Cornet/Trumpet performing on the evening and selected to play The March form “Scipio” (Handel).  Despite the usual pre-performance nerves, he played very confidently and musically in front of a large supportive audience and received very kind remarks from an ABRSM examiner afterwards, for his quality of sound.


The band is very proud of Charlie and he deserves special praise for the dedication and hard work that he has devoted to learning to play the Cornet since he started, 18 months ago.  With more hard work, we are sure we will be hearing more of him in the future as his musical career progresses.

Charlie would like to thank Suzanne Barnes (ABRSM) for organising the excellent concert and accompanying him on the Piano. 

The band and Charlie would also like to say well done Ian! 
The band's principal cornet player - Ian Ford has been Charlie's cornet teacher from day one.  Ian deserves a very special mention for all his hard work and dedication, helping Charlie to make such fantastic progress in a very short time!  Thank you Ian.