ILKLEY AND NORTH BRADFORD BAND ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2015/2016

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1 ILKLEY AND NORTH BRADFORD BAND ASSOCIATION Introduction ANNUAL REPORT 2015/2016 This Annual Report reminds members of The Association of our activities concentrating on the Two Rivers Concert and Swing Bands during the last year. Again I am pleased to report that they have improved with some excellent players joining each band (although we have lost some), but more importantly we have seen an improvement in the quality of our sound. That has been achieved because of the quality of our Musical Directors and the commitment of our musicians. As is usual the Treasurer will be presenting the Financial Accounts and his own report at the meeting. Therefore this report will not cover these matters. Activities This year the bands have performed at a number of concerts, bandstands and dances and have raised a significant amount for the charities we support, ie:- Outside The Box a locally based organisation Yorkshire Cancer Centre and The Sick Children s Trust (SCT) both Regional/national charities Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) an international body Concert band performances are as follows :- 3 x Open rehearsals with proceeds to Outside The Box Ilkley Arts Festival : Collection to Yorkshire Cancer Centre 2 x Ilkey Bandstand. One with funds to SCT and one in support of Martin House

2 Small groups playing carols on The Grove: funds to MSF Idle Holy Trinity Church supporting CAP Knaresborough Castle: SCT Yorkshire Day, Ilkley The Swing Band performances are:- 2 x Winter Garden Ilkley dances Hoyle Court Baildon Burley Methodist Church: joint concert with Shine (gospel choir) Ribble Valley Jazz Festival 2 x Ilkley Bandstand: proceeds to MSF Queen s 90 th Birthday celebrations, Ilkley Last Night of The Proms, Ilkley In addition we had a successful away day in York where we were able to concentrate on a limited amount of music to perfect it. A specialist in ancient instruments also came to the event and as well as conducting the group for part of the day, he demonstrated a selection of those instruments. Image This year as part of improvements to our image, we purchased fleece jackets displaying our corporate logo and issued them to members at a subsidised cost. Our much improved website went live and we made both sound and video recordings of a sample of music from both bands which are available through the site. As part of our publicity we have produced a tri fold leaflet which is available at our events. It has two purposes, one to inform people of our existence, the other to recruit new members. We are also

3 developing a display about our bands which will be available at music shops and other locations. The purpose is to endeavour to recruit more players, particularly trumpets and brass base instruments. People As mentioned earlier we would not be where we are without the undoubted capability of our two Musical Directors, Mike O Farrell and Trevor Vincent. They lead and motivate us with their own enthusiasm, knowledge and style which has brought about results. Our thanks go to them. My thanks also go to your Committee who make this Association work. They are Nick Smith Vice Chair David Crowther Treasurer Ruth Hays Secretary Kim Clark who concentrates on publicity We must not forget to mention Richard and Debi Gibson who, although not being on the Committee, maintain the website and our social media presence. A number of your Committee members have served from Association s start and have indicated that they would be prepared to step aside for new people to join the Committee with fresh ideas. Ruth and David have so indicated although they would remain if there is no one willing to stand this year. I would ask all members to consider if they would like to help. I have also said that I would only wish to continue as Chair for a limited time for the same reason, so my successor will also be sought. New Opportunities This year we have seen a number of new and exciting developments.

4 Each of the bands, were invited by the organisers of Ilkley Festival to perform for the community, one at their Queen s 90 th birthday celebrations and the other for Yorkshire Day. The Parish Council invited the Swing Band to play at the local Last Night of The Proms. That development achieved one of our objectives which was to become better recognised as the community s local bands. The Swing Band s taking part in the Ribble Valley Jazz Fest was another welcome venture broadening our horizons. Hopefully we will be invited back next time. The Future and Conclusion So far for next year we are looking to repeat the away day for the Concert Band with another special focus. We are also exploring the possibility of an improvisation workshop for the Swing Band and anyone else who may be interested. The publicity in music shops and other establishments will also enable us to gauge whether there is any possibility of starting a training group. We are thinking that our twice yearly dance in Ilkley should be reduced to one annual event and another dance should be held in the Aire Valley. We are exploring the use of a club in Shipley in the early spring. The tenor of this report has been one of success. We have a solid foundation both in musical and financial terms. We want that to continue. We need the support of all members, not only to help with such mundane aspects as indicating their availability for gigs, but to help in other ways with suggestions and perhaps undertaking some aspect of organisation on the Committee s behalf. Many thanks to everyone. Phil Chapman Chair

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