4BR has been informed that the partnership between Besses o' th' Barn Band and Musical Director David W Ashworth has come to an end.

Progress

The experienced conductor joined the Third Section North West band midway through 2024 and told 4BR in August that he had been "delighted at the enthusiasm and commitment shown by everyone, with new players coming in and a renewed sense of progress shown in every rehearsal."

He added that there was "a real buzz" about the band as he brought in new players to fill long standing vacancies and to improve playing standards with the hope of returning the band back towards the higher contesting echelons.

No longer tenable

However, David has now told 4BR that with more new players ready to help in his ambition as the band was due to return to rehearsals this week, he was informed by email that his position as MD was "no longer tenable".

"To say I'm disappointed is an understatement," he said. "Everything until now was going so well and I felt we had a real collective commitment to improving things. However, the email stated that the proposed movement of some players was not acceptable as well as the cost of my services."

Ups and downs

He added: "To say that the improvements made were only "small" though is something I wholeheartedly disagree with. I have been in banding a very long time and so have experienced many ups and downs, but this was a link that I felt had the real opportunity to succeeding.

I fully respect their decision and wish Besses well, but feel this was an opportunity lost to re-establish one of the banding world's most famous names back at a level that it fully deserves."