The organisers of Brass in Concert have announced that Muriel Newsome has accepted an invitation to become the event’s Honorary Patron.

Vision

Spokesperson David Bennett commented to 4BR: "As we enter our 36th year, it is important to record the vision of Cyril Beere and Peter Hartley who founded the event.

At the same time, we could not have anticipated its success without the encouragement of Dr. Roy Newsome, who was appointed Musical Advisor in 1977 and worked tirelessly to develop Brass in Concert until his passing in 2011."

Leading lady

He added: "Muriel has been present for all of our 35 previous competitions and together with Roy has been a much-loved ambassador; indeed, our leading lady. My colleagues and I had no hesitation in agreeing that we should invite Muriel to become our Honorary Patron."

Roy and I spent many happy years in the company of our friends in North East England, who worked extremely hard to promote the Championship to its present statusMrs Muriel Newsome

Happy years

In response, Mrs Newsome commented: "Roy and I spent many happy years in the company of our friends in North East England, who worked extremely hard to promote the Championship to its present status.

In recent times, Roy was glad to see the increased participation of young people in all aspects of the festival, a formula which he believed was essential for securing the long term future of the event. It is with great pleasure that I look forward to undertaking my new role."