Just two more concerts to go tonight - Tuckton Church for the Town Band and Sandy Balls for the Verwood Concert Brass Band and that will be our lot for this Christmas.
It has been a busy but delightful few weeks with Christmas concerts and lots of carolling.
Carolling not only brings a bit of seasonal cheer to shoppers but also provides an opportunity to do some fund raising not only to help with the costs of running the band but also to share the proceeds with another charity.
This year we have chosen to support ‘Katie’s New Wheels ’via ‘The Tree of Hope’ charity. This charity’s mission is to transform the lives of sick children and empower families. It offers hope to the families of seriously ill and disabled children in the UK who need specialist medical surgery, treatment and therapy in order to free them from suffering, giving a better quality to their young lives.
Why have we chosen to support fund raising for Katie’s New Wheels? That’s an easy one to answer because Katie has recently joined our Acorns new starter group learning to play the trumpet, so there really can’t be a cause closer to home than this nor more worthwhile.
And the photo in this post is of Katie who came and visited our group of carollers playing at Morrisons, Verwood, this lunchtime.
Katie Green is 10 years old, lives in Ringwood and has cerebral palsy. Living where we do, in and around Verwood, with our lovely forests, beaches and coastline just a stone’s throw away, we can sometimes take it for granted that we can get out and enjoy such beautiful countryside. For Katie and her parents, it’s not so easy. That’s why we have chosen to support the fund raising to purchase an all-terrain wheelchair so she can go out on longer walks with Vinnie, her assistance dog. This new chair will enable Katie to access the forest and beach without an issue.
We are hoping we have raised enough but if anyone wishes to make a contribution then please feel free to do so via www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Clare-Green2 . JustGiving sends your donation straight to Tree of Hope and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more.
Merry Christmas everyone and we look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
The Verwood Hub was absolutely packed with over 300 people eager to enjoy the Christmas concert and they weren’t disappointed. The concert kicked off with the ever-enthusiastic Verwood Training Band all dressed up in various Christmassy outfits including conductor Mike Dunnings in his festive waistcoat. Their set included a sing-a-long ‘Holly and the Ivy’ carol and closed off with the good old favourite of Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’.
Next up was the Verwood Concert Brass Band all looking very smart dressed up to the nines and playing some top quality Christmas arrangements such as ‘The Snowman’ and ‘Jingles Bells’. But in a new feature, which will happen in future concerts, a player from one of the other bands will be invited to play a solo with the principal band. On this occasion, it was Naomi Selby-Grace on cornet, who plays in the Training Band, Youth Band and Town Band, that had the wonderful opportunity to perform ‘Silent Stars Go By’. Very well done Naomi.
After the interval Verwood Town Band, also dressed up in Christmas costumes too, got straight to it with some audience participation of swaying and standing up (and how could you not?) to a great rendition of ‘Schneewalzer’, plus a sing-a-long to ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’, and closing off their set with another popular foot-tapper, ‘Stop the Cavalry’.
Back on with Verwood Concert Brass Band to close the show and what a hilarious start to the set with Steve Rowland ‘performing’ the ‘Yuletide Gallop’ on post horn – it must be seen to be believed - See video clip below.
By way of contrast Ian Harris on euphonium then gave a sublime solo performance of ‘O Holy Night’. Further audience participation occurred with ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ and ‘Hark the Herald’. The Band really demonstrated how it was now the best band in Dorset and now ranked 111th in the world by closing the concert with a very powerful performance of ‘Kingdom Triumphant’ but sent a very happy audience home with smiles on their faces with an encore piece of ‘Christmas Bolero’.
Verwood Concert Brass would like to wish everybody a very merry Christmas.
