NEWS
WHIT FRIDAY - June 5th saw the band travel over to Saddleworth to take part in the annual Whit Friday March Contest. Playing the contest March Olympus, the band competed at 7 venues on what was an extremely wet evening out! Unfortunately the band did not feature in the prizes but had a great night out even though the weather was against us and everyone played very well. WELCOME - As James leaves the band to join Rainford, we are extremely pleased to welcome to the band on 2nd Trombone, Linda Andrus, who joins us from Rainford. We are very glad to have her at the band and hope she has a happy and successful future with us. FAREWELL - The band were very sad after Buxton contest to say goodbye to one of our trombone players, James Hall. James has played with the band for a year and has made the decision to move onto the Rainford Band. We wish him all the luck in the future and would like to thank him for his committment over the last twelve months. A BIG THANKYOU!! - Principle Cornet player Debbie Williams has played Soprano Cornet for the last few months to get the band through the contest season without the need to borrow players. She is a great player and has shown herself to be a true bandsman. The band have now let her escape Well done to Ben Coulson and Georgina Moulsdell who have done a great job sharing the top seat in Debbies absence. MAY 2009 - BUXTON CONTEST - May 5th saw the band travel over to Buxton to take part in the annual Brass Band Contest Festival. The band gave a great performance of Kaliedoscope and secured 6th place. MARCH 2009 - SUCCESS AT TAMESIDE! - Following on from our success at the area came a trip to Tameside Contest on March 29th in a very competitive 2nd section field. The band played last in the section on Kaliedoscope and a very solid performance saw them secure 3rd place! Yet another trophy from our first season contesting after quite a break! Next up is Buxton, and the band are hoping for yet another prize! MARCH 2009 - GREAT START TO THE YEAR!!! - The band has had a very successful start to the year, all the hard work seems to be paying off! First off the band secured an excellent 6th place at the North West Finals, especially off the dreaded number one spot! It was a great improvement on our area results and we are hoping for a qualification spot next time! JANUARY 2009 - The band have been very busy preparing the for North West Area contest which takes place on March 1st. Debbie Williams has moved to the Soprano seat for the area and has agreed to play Soprano permanently which is a great move for the band as she is a fantastic Sop player. NOVEMBER 2008 - EXCITING TIMES! - November was a very exciting month for the band. Firstly, Debbie Williams joined the band on the Principle Cornet seat, joining from Old Hall, and then the band took part in St Helens Contest on November 16th and took a fantastic 2nd place in the second section of the contest. The bass section also won Best Basses. OCTOBER 2008 - PONTINS!! - October 25th took the band to Prestatyn Sands to take part in the 3rd section of the Pontins contest playing Joseph Horovitz Sinfonietta. The band worked really hard to get this piece ready as they have been so busy over recent weeks and were quite happy with their performance, but they were even happier with the result! The band took 3rd place winning a commemorative cup and £700 prize money. The band are now full of confidence and excitement for the rest of the contesting season ahead. All of the hard work that has been put in over the last year is starting to pay off, and the future looks to be very bright indeed! Congratulations to everyone involved in the Pontins result!! OCTOBER 2008 - On the 12th October the band took part in Fleetwood Contest in the 2nd section playing The Dark Side of the Moon. It was the first formal contest the band have entered in a couple of years and it was an opportunity to get the players back into the swing of the contesting season. John was very happy with the bands performance, and a very credible fifth place showed that the band has the potential to go far! SEPTEMBER 2008 - September 6th saw the bands first contest outing with John as conductor, at the inaugral St Helens March and Hymn contest. The band put on a great performance in both pieces and although they did not feature in the prizes it was a great experience for the band and they look forward to next year! AUGUST 2008 - Both bands have had a busy month, with concerts at Coronation Park in Ormskirk and Knowsley Flower Show. The Senior Band are now looking forward to the St Helens March and Hymn Concert on the 6th September. It is the first contest with John and everyone is confident of a great result!! 
from Soprano and she will now be moving back onto the Principle seat! 
JULY 2008 - The Junior Band concert in June was a great success, and several new children are now members of the WLYBB. The band has had a great first 12 months, and are looking to growing and excelling in the future! 
JUNE 2008 - The success of the West Lancashire Youth Brass Band in its first twelve months has been astounding. We are very excited to be introducing ten new members to the band in September 2008. To welcome them down to the band, both WLYBB and the Senior Band will be attending a concert and hotpot dinner at Skelmersdale Cricket Club on June 23rd.
MAY 2008 - We are delighted to announce that Mr John Ludden has been offered the position of Musical Director at Skelmersdale, and he has happily accepted. We look forward to a lot of hard work and a new direction under our new conductor. Also, we are pleased to announce that Mrs Joanne Ludden has joined the band on Solo Horn. Exciting times are ahead for the band!
APRIL 2008 - The band are sorry to be parting ways with Principle Cornet Alex Timms and Soprano Cornet Andrea Moss. They have both been invaluable members of the band and will be sorely missed. We all would like to wish them both the best for the future.
MARCH 29TH 2008 - March 29th saw the Junior Band host their first Slow Melody contest at the Glenburn Arts Theatre, Skelmersdale. The contest was split up into four sections. Results are as follows:
Under 10 Section (Year 5)
1st Place - Bernice Coulson - Piece: Danny Boy - Prize: The Co-operative Cup and £15
2nd Place - Emily Elliot - Piece: Titanic - Prize: £10
3rd Place - Alex Aspinwall - Piece: Yesterday - Prize: £5
Under 11 Section (Year 6)
1st Place - Thomas Bennett - Piece: The Imperial March - Prize: The Skelmersdale Cup and £15
2nd Place - Rebecca Hindley - Piece: One Hand One Heart - Prize: £10
3rd Place - Jessica Snelson - Piece: Ground Bass - Prize: £5
Under 12 Section (Year 7)
1st Place - Robert Fletcher - Piece: Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Prize: The Co-operative Shield and £15
2nd Place - Jessica Ann Stafford - Piece: Morning Has Broken - Prize: £10
3rd Place - Amy Gilberton - Piece: Twinkle Twinkle - Prize: £5
Open Section (Year 8 +)
1st Place - Benjamin Coulson - Piece: Vois-tu la Neige Qui Brille - Prize: The West Lancashire Shield and £15
2nd Place - David Joel Green - Piece: Skye Boat Song - Prize: £10
3rd Place - Kelly Ann Ryan - Piece: Land of Hope and Glory - Prize: £5
Well done to the prize winners and to everyone that took part in the event! The winners of each section will be playing their solo with the Senior Band at the Gala Concert on Wednesday 2nd April 2008.
MARCH 2008 - All at the band would like to give a big thanks to Dave Lyon for all of his committment to the band over the years. Dave has stepped down as Chairman of the band this year, but will be staying on as a player. He is an invaluable member of Skelmersdale Prize band, and all his hard work and dedication will be remembered for many many years to come. Following Dave's retirement from the post of Chairman, the band is pleased to announce that Andy Booth has accepted the post; we are looking forward to the future of the band and hope to carry on Dave's work and progression with Andy as Chairman.
MARCH 2008 - The West Lancashire Youth Brass Band will be holding their first Slow Melody Contest on Saturday March 29th at Glenburn Arts Centre, starting at 9.30am. Supporters are welcome to attend, with an entrance fee of £2.00. This is a great step forward for the Junior band, and with the contest being adjudicated by John Doyle, Flugel player for Black Dyke, its promises to be an exciting day for all involved. We would like to wish all the competitors the very best of luck, and hope that many supporters will attend and help to make the day a great success.
MARCH 2008 - Big congratulations to our young and rising percussion star, Jonathon Whittaker, who had received a £50 prize for the highest mark in his grade 6 piano exam!
MARCH 2008 - The band put on a great performance at Blackpool and despite the result, had a great day all round! Looking now to improve the result at Buxton contest and to put on some great concerts throughout the year. Pictures below are some from Blackpool.
JANUARY 2008 - We would like to welcome down Gordon Clough as conductor for the North West Area.
JANUARY 2008 - Welcome back to Simon Quinn and Andy Booth, great to see you both back at the band!
DECEMBER 2007 - The band would like to congratulate Alex and Andrea on the birth of their son Adam and Andy on the birth of his daughter Sophie.
DECEMBER 2007 - A sad farewell to our assistant principle cornet Georgina Roberts, who is retiring from playing to concentrate on developing and conducting the West Lancashire Youth Brass Band.