With the Section 1-4 National Finals in York already on the horizon, bands from all parts of the country are busy fund raising to help meet the costs of extra rehearsals, travel and accommodation in representing their Areas at the event.

One of them is Betteshanger Colliery Welfare Band from east Kent, who will make the long journey north to represent the London & Southern Counties region for the third successive year.

History

Formed in 1932, the band initially flourished thanks to its link to Betteshanger Colliery, part of the major Kent coalfield.

The won London & Southern Counties Second Section Area titles up to the 1970s and just missed out on the National title itself on a couple of occasions under the baton of a young Walter Hargreaves in 1957 and 1958.

However, the colliery closed in 1989, and although they carried on, success was sporadic and they stopped contesting in 2015.

Contest return

The band only returned to the contest stage under MD, Michael West in 2024 when they won the Fourth Section Area title in Stevenage and went on to claim the National title itself.

Last year they claimed the Third Section Area accolade and went on to just miss out on making it a 'Double/Double' when they came runner-up in Cheltenham.

This year they have already made it a hat-trick of Area victories with victory in the Third Section at Stevenage and now look secure another National success in York on the test-piece, 'Snow Island' by Etienne Crausaz.

Comeback

Social Media officer Helen Rose told 4BR: "Ours has been a remarkable 'comeback' story under the musical direction of Mike West. We've enjoyed an incredible resurgence built entirely on commitment, hard work and community spirit.

This year's victory in Stevenage, secured another appearance on the national stage in York and continues what has become one of the most exciting musical stories for a proud community band from Deal."

It has been a huge commitment but thanks to our principal sponsor, Eclipse Instruments we are getting thereBetteshanger Colliery Band

Help

Helen told 4BR that like all other bands fundraising for their York appearance has been a huge challenge — raising over £5,000 to help cover the costs.

"It has been a huge commitment but thanks to our principal sponsor, Eclipse Instruments we are getting there. They have shown incredible generosity by donating a stunning Eclipse Celeste Bb Trumpet together with an exclusive package of Eclipse accessories worth over £4,000, allowing us to run a fundraising Grand Prize Draw.

Leigh McKinney and everyone at Eclipse have been fantastic supporters of the band, and we're incredibly grateful for the faith they've shown in what we're trying to achieve."

Tickets:

There are still tickets available for people who wish to support us, with the grand draw taking place on the 10th August.

Tickets are available from: https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/ticketing/road-to-york--2026