On the road to Cheltenham – Highland Brass and Penicuik Silver

Highland Brass and Penicuik Silver will be Scotland’s representatives in the Fourth Section at Cheltenham.

For Highland Brass, it is the second time the band has qualified in this section. And this year will be particularly special as the band celebrates its tenth anniversary!

Rehearsals on the test piece, the ever-popular A Saddleworth Festival Overture by Goff Richards, have been going well under musical director Mark Bell.

Unlike the other bands, the players will be travelling by plane from Inverness to Bristol, staying in Cheltenham for two nights before flying back to Inverness on Sunday evening.

“However, two of our members are taking on the long drive to ensure our instruments arrive safely,” the band’s Ailsa Watson pointed out.

Obviously the expense of travelling from so far north is quite daunting, so the band has been working extremely hard to fundraise for the trip. Events have included a concert, a tea party and a quiz night. “The members have used their talents such as baking, cooking and gardening to raise some extra money along the way,” said Ailsa.

Highland’s youngest member of the band is Tom, aged 14, who started playing when he was seven in Yorkshire and recently moved to the area with his family who are also brass musicians.

The band’s next youngest member is principal cornet player Beth who is just 15!

“We are very proud of our young players and they bring so much to the band,” Ailsa added. 

Penicuik Silver has been preparing for the trip to Cheltenham through fundraising with extra events, coffee mornings and busking during the summer while continuing to rehearse twice a week with musical director Douglas Anderson.

The band will be leaving Scotland today and returning home after the results tomorrow. Unfortunately members weren’t able to fundraise enough to stay in the hotel for two nights.

Penicuik’s youngest player will be Liam on Eb bass, who is 17 years old and has been playing for five years. He progressed through the youth band and took part in his first contest last year.

BBb bass player Jim Peebles is the band’s oldest member at 72 and has been playing with Penicuik for an impressive 64 years!

Experienced back-row cornet player George and bass player Jamie will be making their contesting debut on the stage at Cheltenham, joining three other players who competed for the first time earlier at the Scottish Championships earlier this year.

As this article is the last of this week's daily profiles on the Scottish contenders for this weekend, we wish each and every one of the bands all the very best for a safe trip and a rewarding and enjoyable contesting experience.