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Yes, we finally got confirmation that our
lottery bid was accepted and have received most of the new instruments
we ordered. We hope to have the full set ready for Pershore Midsummer
Brass on July 5th where we will also be giving the premier performance
of John Frith's 'Revolution'. The piece was commissioned as part
of the bid preparation, and is currently in rehearsal with John
himself ready for the special occasion.
Special thanks must go to our Chairman Roland Deakin (my Dad) for all his efforts in getting the grant. It has taken much of his time over most of the last year (or so it seems!) and caused him much stress in the process. However the beaming grin when he got his new BBb bass showed it was all worth it. Other thanks go to Lisa Perkins, and Normans instrument sales who have been very helpful in getting us the kit.
Roland has kindly prepared a document outlining his experiences during the application process. If you are considering an application, or would like to find out a bit more about what is involved, please look at his page.
We will update the band photo with one showing the new equipment as soon as we have a decent one to show.
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Band on the TV!
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Some of you (in the UK) may have
seen the BBC program 'Oh, Doctor Beeching!' which stars many
of the cast from the classic "Hi De Hi" and is just
starting a new series on BBC1 at 6-45 pm. You may also know that it is filmed on the Severn Valley Railway, and most of it set at Arley Station. To cut a long story short one of the episodes (the last in the new series we think) is about a fete and features the local village band. As a result of his contact with the local BBC radio station David Bishop-Rowe was given the task of organising the band which consisted mainly of Stourport players, with the help of a few from Arrow Valley Brass and some pupils from Cliffey House School where David is the Deputy Head Teacher. |
We can tell you from personal experience that filming for the TV is not the glamorous vocation some might think! Due to the rainy weather we were there from 8-30am till after 6-00pm all for less than 1 minutes worth of footage, which took place right at the end of the day and probably took less than an hour to complete! The rest of the time was spent hanging around getting rather frustrated with the lack of progress. Mind you some of the cast were in full makeup all day only to find that they would not get any filming done at all. We used the Stourport jackets and uniform with caps provided by the BBC wardrobe department, and the more observant of you will probably spot that some of the instruments look a bit modern. It was pre-lottery though which adds to the 'authentic village band' look (and sound ;-). Preparation included hair cuts all round (they cut off my sideburns! The things we do for 'art'). Please watch and see me on 'bone - I didn't seem to manage to get in any of the press photos :-(
We are hoping to organise a concert featuring Su Pollard and Paul Shane sometime next year. Watch this space!
Newspaper Clippings
Please take a look at a selection of clippings taken from local newspapers about our lottery grant and the TV filming.
