The young players from Test Valley Brass Youth Band and the beginner band Frosty’s are a step closer to achieving their target of £10,000 for the purchase of some much needed new instruments. Last night saw the band put on a wonderful Christmas performance to a sell-out audience at the Lights Theatre in Andover. There were the usual delights to wow the crowds from band players young and old with some interesting new additions this year! Poor little Tiny Tim (alias Conrad) desperately wanted to play a Christmas carol to all but Chris the “Scrooge” Sharp just wouldn’t permit it! A visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and the Future (with some extraordinary acting skills, it has to be said!) were needed to help Chris the “Scrooge” Sharp change his ways so Tiny Tim could play his carol to a delighted audience! The Youth Band was also joined by a talented young singer, Lucy Bourne who sang a rendition of “The Fairytale of New York” whilst the Youth band accompanied her.
During the evening, supporters of the band Dorothy & Brian Page presented a cheque to Peter Heslop, the Chair of Test Valley Brass, for the sum of £350 towards the purchase of new instruments for the Youth band and Fosty’s. They are both avid supporters of Test Valley Brass Band. Dorothy had recently completed a sponsored walk and very kindly donated half of the amount she raised to Test Valley Brass Youth Band.
Test Valley Brass Youth Band has also received the local support of the Co-operative! They have recently been awarded the sum of £2,000 from the Community Fund Grant scheme, which supports local community, voluntary or self-help groups. Helen, a representative of the Co-operative Community Fund, attended the concert last night and presented a cheque for the sum of £2,000 for the Youth band towards the purchase of new instruments! This will be a huge boost for the bands fund raising target of £10,000 and the band are extremely grateful to everyone for their generosity!
Alec Grimsey, conductor of the youth band, said “We are extremely proud of all our players at Test Valley Brass, and the dedication and commitment that the young people frequently show is outstanding! Without the support of people like Dorothy and Brian Page and the Co-operative Community Fund, it would be impossible for us to commit to our young players and provide them with continued support, a fantastic education scheme, but most importantly the opportunity to have fun and socialise in a group environment with children of all ages and abilities.”
Test Valley Brass’s Christmas concert which included the whole family of bands, the Youth Band, Frosty’s the beginner band and the Senior Band was a huge success last night and offered the community of Andover the opportunity to go along, see and support a local group of people who put on a fantastic show for all ages!
If you would like to find out more about the family of Test Valley Brass Bands, their future engagements and tours or how they can help you learn a Brass Instrument please visit their website www.testvalleybrass.co.uk or contact secretary@testvalleybrass.co.uk. You can also follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Testvalleybrass