Happy New Year!

At the time of writing the Band is about to launch head first into our Christmas season which in 2013 was (unusually) concentrated in December! A few years ago the Band’s first Christmas ‘gig’ was the switching on of the Chapefield lights on the first Thursday in November. It stretched our Christmas programme over nearly 2 months and it was always odd to have played Christmas programmes before Remembrance Sunday!

In November the Band performed at the St. Georges Theatre in Great Yarmouth with Ben Lake and Becky Mundy, our vocalists. Over 100 people came along to the concert which was performed superbly but sadly with the percussion trailer needing a wheel change afterwards, complications meant that a few of us left at 1am with poor Andy Newman returning at about 3am having extracted the spare wheel from its bracket and eventually getting home just before 4am! The autumn programme also included the Norwich Beer Festival which was on Halloween and all the band dressed in costume for the performance!

We are delighted to welcome a new Sponsor to the Band with support to the Training Band. A big thanks to 3-Line Electrical for their contribution which will be used to develop the learning of our youngsters both present and future who are learning with the Band.

Our Spring concerts will be held at Taverham Village Hall on 28^th & 29^th March and tickets will be on sale from February. 2014 marks the Band’s 40^th anniversary and we hope to have a great year.

Bob Tyler

Finally, it is with great sadness I report the sad loss of Band President, Bob Tyler, who passed away in November. Bob had been Band President for more than 2 decades and took up the role following Geoff Bedford’s move away from the area. Bob was not a brass musician but, along with Judy, loved and played a full part in Taverham Band giving support, not only to the Band as a whole but to every individual within. He will be missed by all in the Band but remembered fondly. It was a great honour to be able to provide the music at his funeral service at the end of November.

Ian Colman – Musical Director