Cli f ton & Lightc l i f fe Band

2013 was a sad year for the band as we lost our

President Edward White-head who sadly passed

away on 4th August.

Edward’s family has been connected with the band for over 60 years. He was a great supporter and will be sorely missed by all the band. Our condolences to Susan and family. We are

very pleased that Susan has agreed to become a Vice President of the band.

Issue 1

BA N D PR ESI D EN T

Winter 2013

Rehearsals

Senior Band

• Tuesday & Thursday

8pm—9.45pm

B Band

• Fridays

6.45pm—8.15pm

• Sundays

10am—12.15pm

• www.cliftonband.co.uk

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Band President 1

Brassed Off 2

B Band 3

New President 3

Weddings 4

Spotlight 4

CD’s 5

Hello / Goodbye 6

Contacts 6

Engagements 7

Band History 8

B Band at Leicester 9

Looking Back 10

BANDROOM NOTES

N O TA B L E E N G A G E M E N T S

Welcome to the latest version of our re-vamped newsletter, we hope you find it interesting and if you have any comments or articles you would like to add in the next one then please let us know.

Both bands have been busy again during 2013 with around 56 engagements be-tween them, there were a couple of highlights for the senior band, one being invit-ed to perform at the Conservative Conference at Manchester in September where we managed to have a quick appearance on television. The other was a concert held in Huddersfield Town Hall where the band played to an enthusiastic audience and raised funds for Myeloma UK. The concert was organised by cornet player Frances Rogers who’s husband David suffers from this rare condition.

The band were joined by singers from the Halifax Amateur Operatic Society under their Musical Director Paul Addy, there was also a guest appearance by folk singer Roger Davies.

The event raised £2,500 for the charity and Frances expresses thanks to everyone who contributed in anyway.

As we publish this news letter, we received sad news that our Vice President and long term friend Mr Malcolm Berry has sadly passed away in hospital on Saturday 7th December. Our thoughts are with his family.

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2 0 1 3 A R E A C O N T E S T

B R AS S ED OFF The senior band has been invited to perform in a production of Brassed Off which is being produced by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company at the Alhambra Theatre Bradford from Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th March, evenings 7.30pm and two matinees on Wednesday and Saturday 2.00pm Tickets are available now from the Alhambra on 01274 432000 and prices range from £10.50 to £24.00 with concessions and groups 12+ offers available.

Both Bands competed again at the area contest last March with the senior band competing in the first section for the first time. There were 13 bands compet-ing and we came a very credible 6th place. The B Band competed in the 4th section and came 7th out of 12 bands competing.

At the contest the Secretary and Musical Director Jane and John Clay were pre-sented by the Yorkshire Area Committee with an engraved plate in recognition of 110 years service to banding between them.

Issue 1

Bandroom Notes

Brian’s connection with banding began as with so many of his gener-ation with learning to play with the Salvation Army junior band in Brighouse. He moved to C & L around 1955 when he joined up as a 16 year old to play 2nd Euphonium. John Clay, David Horsfield, Jef-frey Lord and Peter Middleton all joined as young boys around the same time – they all went on to higher things, but Brian remained with C & L and has played on and off since that time.

He had a short spell as Principal Euphonium and in later years played the double bass, but he readily admits his best and most en-joyable times were on 2nd Euphonium alongside Adrian Harrison. His last appearance as a player was 2 years ago when he completed a stint with the “B” band helping them get established in the 4th section for the very first time.

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B R I A N N I C H O L S O N A P P O I N T E D N E W B A N D P R E S I D E N T

Our B Band now have two rehearsals a week on Fridays 6.45—8.15pm and Sundays 10.00-12.15pm. As our training band was progressing so well it was decided that they join forces with the B Band and become one group. We are always on the look out for new members and welcome people in our team. We have a limited number of instruments available so if you know anyone who may be interested in coming along to learn or would like to come back into playing after a break then get in touch with either the Secretary or Musical Director details in our contact section.

B B A N D

In recent years he has acted as Compere at many of the band’s concerts, where his knowledge of banding coupled with a little research and then his natural enthusiasm and ability to relate to the audience gives our concerts that little extra ingredient. A funny story is never far away.

Outside the band he maintains a busy if not hectic timetable. He has been Chairman of Mirfield Round Table, Secretary of Mirfield Probus Club, Chairman of Governors at Castle Hall Academy for 9 years and Mayor of Mirfield.

Whilst still active in the community in Mirfield, he now has 4 great grandchildren and likes nothing more than when all the family descend on Pat and himself when bedlam ensues.

His focus and priority now turns to our band, where he views the appointment of Band President as a wonderful privilege. His biggest wish is to see the whole Band Association continue to be so well supported and to maintain the high level of friendship and enjoyment together.

W E D D I N G S We have seen two weddings in the band during the year. Our percussionist David Clay married his partner Julie Trafford in a ceremony at St Matthews Church, Lightcliffe on Saturday 7th September. Members of the band performed both during the service and at the reception venue Pennine Manor.

Also Trombonist Michael Rogers was married to Lisa Helker on Sunday 6th October in Hawkin House St Louis USA. Although the band would have loved to be there it was felt the USA was a little bit too far away, however, a recording of the band playing The Irish Blessing was played during the ceremony. A celebration for their UK family and friends was held on Saturday 30th November. We wish both couples a long and happy marriage.

S P O T L I G H T In this issue we are featuring one of our Trombone players Paul Addy.

I am 43, I have just moved to Scholes and I live with a percussionist (Glad he doesn’t take his instruments home!). I am the Director of Human Resources for a company called the Interlaken Group and I am now based between Leeds and Surrey. I have a mother, a sister, three brothers, seven nephews and nieces, a great nephew, six godchildren and two cats (Chess and Hartley).

When and where did you first start playing? I started playing when I was 9 at Bailiff Bridge School.

What has been your best banding experience? I think it has to be when I played solo trombone with Jayess in the championship section—We came last but at least I had played in that section.

What has been your most embarrassing banding experience? I think it has to be a contest we played at in Bolton, When it was recorded. At the time I played Bb Bass and had a tendency to over blow and on the recording it sounded like I was breaking wind !!

What is your favourite piece of music? Oh there are so many but I think I would say one I like most to play and listen to is Music by John Miles.

Who are your musical heros? Will Young is definitely one, very talented song writer and great voice. I think the Lord (Andrew Lloyd Weber) is one too, I tend to like a lot of his music.

Choose three random tracks from your ipod. Josh Groban –Brave, Glee—Seasons of Love, Miss Saigon—Bui-Doi.

How do you relax? Don’t have much time to but I think running is how I switch off, I find going to the theatre relaxing and watching TV.

What do you think has been the greatest change in the brass band movement since you started? I think unfortunately the decline in the number of bands.

Last word on the music profession. Lots of talented people overtaken by talentless reality stars!!

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P A T R O N S We have around 60 Patrons who support the band throughout the year, This scheme was set up in 2006 and we are very grateful for the support they have given over the years.

If you are interested in becoming a Patron we ask for a minimum payment of £15.00 per year which entitles you to 2 tickets to our Annual concert held usually in September and updates of what the band is doing throughout the year.

Please contact our Patrons administrator Mrs Janet Bell if you would like to join, all our contact details are in the contacts section of the newsletter.

B A N D CD’ S The band currently has two CD’s for sale and these can be purchased via Jane Clay they are priced at £8.00 each including postage and packaging.

1 0 0 C L U B A very valuable source of income for the band over a number of years now is our weekly 100 club draw.

Numbers are 25p each per week to purchase and a £5.00 weekly draw takes place plus three times a year a prize of £50.00 is given at Christmas, Easter and the Summer.

At present we have 15 numbers spare and if anyone is interested in purchasing them please let us know, pay-ment can be weekly, monthly or annually and can be done via bank transfer if preferred.

The funds from the 100 club over the years has purchased music stands, lyres, mutes, percussion equipment and music. Our 100 club administrator is Helen Woodcock and be contacted via the Secretary Jane Clay.

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H E L L O / G O O D B Y E 2013 has seen a number of changes in the band personnel

Alex Crisp left to join City of Bradford Band

Joe Thornton left for Bristol University

Kathryn Long left for Aberystwyth University

Graham Horsfield left due to work commitments

Darren Smith left due to work commitments

W E W E L C O M E B Band

Simon Jarman Soprano

Lisa Milnes Cornet

Liz Dinsdale Euphonium

Chris Ainley Baritone

Emma Ainley Tenor Horn

George Luty Cornet

Pat Witherspoon Cornet

Heather Sowden Trombone

Senior Band

Stewart Swallow Horn

Joanne White Cornet

John Lofthouse Cornet

Positions Vacant B Band

Kit Player

Front Row Cornet Players

Positions Vacant Senior Band

Front Row Cornet

C O N TA C T S The Bandroom—Band Headquarters, Birkhouse Road, Bailiff Bridge, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 4EW

Secretary– Mrs Jane Clay, 260 Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax West Yorkshire HX3 8TY

Phone 01422 20175, 07990633320, e-mail john366clay@btinternet.com

Patrons– Mrs Janet Bell, janetbell2008@hotmail.co.uk

Left to right: Krystal Thompson; Becky Long; Heather Sowden; Jason Ward

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E N G A G E M E N T S December

Thursday 12th Central Methodist with Brighouse Theatre Productions 7.30pm

Friday 13th Bradford and Bingley Head Office 2.00—4.30pm Group

Sunday 15th Black Bull Liversedge, Group for carols 5.30—7.00pm Group

Monday 16th to Thursday 19th Sainsburys Brighouse 10.00—2.00pm Group

Tuesday 17th St Johns Clifton, Christmas Cracker 7.15pm

Wednesday 18th Carols at Rodley 7.00—8.00pm Group

Friday 20th Barclays Bank Halifax, 11.00—2.00pm Group

Friday 20th Bradford Masonic Hall 7.30—8.45pm

Saturday 21st Carols at Upper Hopton 6.00pm Group

Tuesday 24th Woodland Glade Birkby 6.00—7.00pm Group

Wednesday 25th Carols around Lightcliffe 10.15—1.00pm Group

2 0 1 4 March

Saturday 1st St Georges Hall Area Contest

Monday 11th—15th Brassed Off Alhambra Theatre Bradford

Sunday 16th St Patricks Day Parade Leeds 11.00am

Saturday 29/30th Newport, Gwent

April

Friday 4th Craiglands Hotel Ilkley concert 7.30pm

June

Saturday 7th St Annes Church Southowram 7.30pm

Saturday 24th Moravian Church Proms Bailiff Bridge

Saturday 21st Rodley Church 7.30pm

Sunday 29th Brighouse March Contest

July

Saturday 5th Proms in the Paddock, Clifton

B B A N D December

Sunday 15th St Martins Church Brighouse 2.15—3.30pm

Plus all group carol playing see Senior band list above

2 0 1 4 July

Saturday 12th Ilkley Bandstand 2.00 –4.00pm

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B A N D H I S T O R Y P A R T V— B Y J O H N C L A Y In July 1919 the band led the Celebration parade around Clifton for the ending of the First World War.

In the mid twenties Fred Berry was lured away from Clifton by the Brighouse and Rastrick Temperance band as Clifton was beginning to threaten this band at contests.

Brighouse obviously realised how good a band trainer Fred Berry was, as is usual with many brass bands if a play-er or a conductor begins to show much improved skills either at playing or conducting then the top class bands go after them, and this still applies today. So it was that Fred ended up at Brighouse taking with him some members of Clifton band, since that time Brighouse and Rastrick have never looked back. They have gone from strength to strength and are still the only Championship band registered as a subscription band.

For Clifton this loss of members meant having to begin again as it has done many times since. From this time Clifton has been a training ground for many famous players within the brass band world. To name a few, Derek Garside who went on to become the principal cornet of Manchester CWS Band, Grenville Richmond who became the principal trombone for both Brighouse and Black Dyke, David Horsfield principal cornet for Brighouse in his mid teens, Jeffrey Lord and Peter Middleton flugel horn and cornet respectively at Brighouse, Frank Longbottom principal horn for Brighouse, I went from Clifton to join Black Dyke and Glenn and David Crisp both being mem-bers of Brighouse when they had the Floral Dance hit in 1977.

At the Annual General meeting held on the 29th January 1922, the secretary Mr Gannon stated the past year had not been a good one for the band. It had struggled due to a large number of members being out of work and oth-ers on short time.

In 1928 the bandroom on Highmoor Lane was becoming very dilapidated and the band was once again struggling for members. So it came about that the President of the band Mr Newton Brooke of Lightcliffe, the owner of Brookes Quarries now Marshalls, suggested to the band committee that if the band would change its name to the Clifton and Lightcliffe Band he would try and provide a bandroom in a better location. At the general meeting held in the band room on 13th January 1929, “A good deal of discussion arose concerning a proposal that the or-ganisation should be the Lightcliffe and Clifton Band. It was eventually decided to write Mr Brooke asking for a suitable date when he would be prepared to come to Clifton and put his suggestions personally at a public meeting. It was felt by the present officials and committee that it would be to the bands interests if the proposal was adopt-ed”

By May of that year the band was calling itself the Clifton and Lightcliffe Band, this has been its name to the pre-sent day, and thanks to Mr Brooke they moved into their present day headquarters at Bailiff Bridge in September 1932.

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B B A N D A T L E I C E S T E R C O N T E S T

On Sunday 24th November the B band competed in the 4th Section for the first time at the Leicester Brass Band Association Contest. Out of 13 bands they managed to be placed 10th which was a great effort for their first time. The test piece they chose to perform was Alan Fernie’s Anglian Dances and the judge gave some very nice com-ments about the playing. The main problem was playing a bit too loud and the tuning in the slow movements which is always a problem for the lower section bands.

The brass band web site All4brass had down as our star players our second cornets so very well done Olivia Greg-ory 14 years old and Stephanie White 10 years old, keep up the good work ladies.

The contest was really well run and a credit to the organisers, we will hopefully be returning to try again next year.

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Stewart warming up

L O O K I N G B A C K

Performing in the local parks was, and still is to many bands, bread and butter engagements. We used to play reg-ularly in Wellholme Park in Brighouse and on many occasions there would only be half a team.

On one particular occasion the first half didn’t last long because it poured down. Packing our music and instru-ments away we hastily took shelter in the Parks’ Department potting shed.

It was still raining when we arrived back for the evening performance, you had to turn up in those days even though it was raining or the Town Council would not pay your fee. However, in the event it did rain the concert had to be performed in the Oddfellows Hall, the old Brighouse and Rastrick bandroom.

Well, we went and the twelve members that turned up struggled through the first half, the second half was three quarters of an hour I will never forget. During the interval eight players from Brighouse and Rastrick called and joined in to help make up the band’s missing players. Shortly afterwards another eight or nine Black Dyke players turned up and they joined in too. As the band’s then principal third cornet player-well there was only me on the stand; I had the feeling never to be experienced again, playing with the band where twenty of the performers were some of the finest in the country.

After we played the first march, I noticed a man walked through the door, someone I had never seen before, but from the sudden buzz that reverberated around the stand, I quickly realised this was some one a bit special.

The band’s secretary, who was also the solo cornet player, and someone that seemed to know everybody in band-ing, asked him to join us for the remainder of the concert, however, with there already being six front row cornets, the only position available was “bumper-up” insert on third cornet.

It came as no surprise to those players that knew him when he gladly accepted the offer and for three quarters of an hour he played as my “bumper-up” and to perfection turned the pages over just in the right place for me. Hav-ing never met the man before or since, Mr Maurice Murphy will always be the tops for me.

Chris Helme B.E.M

Page 10

Merry Christmas and a Happy

and Prosperous New Year

to all our readers!