Mossley band celebrating 90 years of brass brilliance

A LOCAL brass band is celebrating 90 years of musical excellence with a special anniversary concert.

St John’s Band in Mossley will hope to strike a chord with the audience during its milestone performance.

It’s an opportunity to reflect on the history of St John’s – which was formed by brass band enthusiast Rev W. Leeming in 1933 to help extend the church’s social and cultural activities.

Mossley St John’s Brass Band

Prospective players got together to form the nucleus of the band which, by May 1934, was ready for its first Whit Friday Walks.

Although the band is not directly linked with the church anymore, they do provide the music for the services throughout the year – such as Christmas, Harvest and the Whit Friday Walks.

In 1983, St John’s reached one of its highest points by qualifying to play in the Fourth Section of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain at the Royal Albert Hall – which proved an unforgettable experience for those involved.

More recently, the band has gone from strength to strength, introducing a new training band and a beginner band to focus on bringing fresh new players into the main band.

This year, the band – now a registered charity – is led by Martin Gernon, who is the 16th conductor in its history.

St John’s competed in the North West Area Contest before finishing in third place at the Buxton contest, then second at Holme Valley. After becoming 4th Section champions on Whit Friday in Tameside, the band is now the Red Admiral Entertainment 4th Section Champions.

The 90th anniversary concert takes place on Sunday, November 3, at 2pm at The Vale, in Vale Mill off Micklehurst Road, in Mossley.

Tickets are £10 each and available online here:

https://stjohnsband.sumupstore.com/product/ticket-90th-anniversary-concert

Alternatively, you can contact the band’s Facebook page ‘St John’s Band – Mossley’ or call Catherine Jones, Concert Secretary, on 07947 808 492.