2016 has arguably been Jayess Newbiggin Brass Band's most successful year in its history and as it draws to a close it is important to reflect on the events of the past 12 months, especially after such a proud and rewarding year.

We began 2016 under the command of Alan Fernie, who had agreed to take the band to the Durham League in February, the band had also previously enjoyed a rehearsal with Alan in October 2015. For the Durham League we rehearsed Stuart Pullin's 'Haydock Variations', a piece which provided the perfect balance of challenge and enjoyment, allowing the band's ensemble skills to develop whilst also allowing our soloists to shine. Overall, the day turned out to be a tremendous success, with Jayess not only walking away as section winners, but also with our MD turned euphonium player Andrew winning the soloist prize and our trombone section also winning a prize.

As March approached our focus turned to the North of England regional contest with the test piece 'The Journal of Phileas Fogg' by Peter Graham. Spurred on by our win at the Durham League, the band were determined to make an impression on the top half of the table. We felt we were playing the test piece well and with Andrew returning to conducting duties there was an air of quiet confidence floating around the stand. Of course, we weren't resting on our laurels, many times the band had returned from the area contest disappointed with the result so there was no room for complacency. When it came to the results we were delighted to see some recognition for our bass section, who were awarded a 'special commendation' by the adjudicator Alan Morrison. An even more impressive achievement when you consider that the section had half the usual amount of players in! Delight then turned to elation when Jayess Newbiggin were announced as the winners of the 4th Section. A moment we certainly won't forget in a hurry! Tears and celebrations followed the result with several drinks being consumed the following evening and a celebratory gathering the following week.

Quickly, our thoughts become dominated by the National Finals in September and the fundraising which would need to be done in order to get the band to Cheltenham. It was estimated that we would need to raise several thousands of pounds in order to cover the expense, a big challenge which began in earnest with many generous donations and fundraising events such as our celebration concert in April. Luckily, we are a tremendously lucky band with very supportive friends and family, and it was the kindness and generosity shown by these people which made our journey to the finals possible. On the day we finished a credible 9th and against the top 4th section bands in the country, this was a result not to be sniffed at! Of course the band were delighted with the achievement, but we knew there was room for improvement and given the chance we would love to improve on this for 2017.

Of course, it wasn't all about contesting in 2016, Jayess Newbiggin were also involved in the Northumberland Miner's Picnic in June along with Bedlington, Ashington and Ellington Brass Bands. An event which saw us take to the stage together in a performance of Lucy Pankhurst's 'Reflection Connection' , the following evening we appeared at The Sage in Gateshead, which was a wonderful experience and an honour to perform at such a prestigious venue. As if this wasn't enough, we even preceded a concert by the fantastic Mnozil Brass! A group which are certainly a sight to behold! The audience were gripped from start to finish with their outstanding musicianship, hilarious comedy and magnificent entertainment skills. If you plan to see any live performances in 2017, Mnozil Brass are certainly the ones to see. A particular highlight was seeing the infamous 'chair' sketch not only once, but twice! The weekend itself was full on and very busy, but one which will remain etched in our memories forever, proving that music has an incredible way of uniting people in the most breathtaking ways.

As the end of 2016 approached, Jayess Newbiggin continued with the usual Remembrance and Christmas events through November and December. Once again, we made appearances at the local supermarkets continuing to raise money for our 2017 endeavors. As well as this we performed at Woodhorn and St. Bartolomew's Churches, and at Newbiggin Bandstand where Jack Charlton turned on the village's Christmas lights.

For Jayess Newbiggin Brass Band, 2016 truly has been a fantastic year, full of many successes, memories and celebrations, but come the turn of the year the hard work starts again. One of our aims for 2017 is to gain promotion to the 3rd section, an aspiration which we believe is attainable but not without its challenges. We will set out to achieve our aspiration by once again beginning our contesting season by defending our title at the Durham League in February. Following that will be the North of England regional contest with Alan Fernie's test piece 'St. Andrew's Variations', again we hope to defend our regional title (not forgetting that commendation for the basses!)

However, none of the band's achievements would even be possible without the hard work and dedication of the members of Jayess Newbiggin Brass Band, including the many people who travel from distance lands to help the band out at contests (OK,... Yorkshire!) Thank you and well done to everyone for your unrelenting commitment, resilience, enthusiasm and team work over the past year, I'm sure we can all agree it has been an honour to share this year's achievements with each other.

Finally, we would also like to thank our friends and family for their support this year and wish you a healthy and prosperous 2017!

2016 Reflections

Kayleigh Stringer

DCBBA Festival of Brass 2018

Yorkshire & Humberside Open Contest

National Finals 2017

Preparing for the Nationals

Here comes the sun

National Finals test piece announced

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