A BRASS band celebrating its 50th anniversary and heading off to a national championship this weekend has left its mark on the community.
Barnsley Metropolitan Band has continued going strong for half a century, as members both young and old persist to push the group further.
Throughout the year dedicated members have been celebrating the momentous birthday with a variety of events, including a show at Elsecar which saw former musical director John Grinnell return to the stage to conduct and £800 raised to be split with the charity BIADS.
However this year has also been particularly special as the band’s been crowned Yorkshire champions and are set to take a trip to Cheltenham for the National Brass Band Championships this weekend.
Musical director, Alex Francis, told the Chronicle: “You’ve got to celebrate landmarks like this.
“I’m really proud that the band has not only existed for 50 years, but that we’ve marked it with a really successful year.
“To be crowned Yorkshire champions is brilliant and shows how we’ve progressed over the years.
“There’s lots of different people in the band from experienced players to youngsters wanting to learn - we’re always determined to move forward.”
The group has now been put forward at this year’s Proud of Barnsley, as they hope to continue progressing music development in town.
Mike Cotton, who nominated them, said: “The band has always given opportunities to Barnsley’s young brass musicians.
“Many of the adults started as younger players and simply stuck around, others are parents who took up instruments in adulthood inspired by their children. A few are just adults who wanted to join a supportive ‘family band’.
“Despite this treadmill of developing talent, the band has had an incredibly successful few years on the contest stage”
Alex added: “We’re really proud to represent Barnsley when we do concerts around the country and especially in the national finals.
“So to know we’re being nominated locally feels really good - it’s a lovely way to highlight the work of our members.”
