Jayess Newbiggin continues to enjoy its celebrations following its victory in the Third Section of the North of England Regional Championships in Durham last weekend.

Their rendition of 'Facets of Glass' by Gordon Langford was described by the judges as being "clean, full of detail, well played and well directed", whilst their principal cornet Sara James was awarded the accolade of 'Best Cornet' for her outstanding contribution to the performance.

Sheer determination

A spokesperson told 4BR: "Like many other bands, the Covid pandemic impacted us hard, with several players moving away from the area or retiring from playing.

At one point it looked like we may not have been able to attend the contest, but through sheer determination we pulled together, determined to ensure 'Wor Band', as we are known locally, would survive and could continue to move forward.

We also welcomed several younger players, who are now starting to come through our affiliation with the local school."

We also welcomed several younger players, who are now starting to come through our affiliation with the local schoolJayess Newbiggin Band

Century win

They added: "We also thoroughly enjoyed working with Duncan Beckley, who made rehearsals fun, challenging and exciting. We were delighted to have played a small part in him joining the illustrious club of 100 wins as a conductor and look forward to continuing to work with him in the future."

The band now prepares to fund raise to return to Cheltenham for the third time in six years helped by an ever-filling diary of events through the spring and summer to look forward to.