Charity concert will mark brass band’s 25th birthday
By MARCUS STEAD - Glamorgan Star reporter
FINAL preparations are being made for a concert at St Mary’s Church on Holton Road to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Barry Brass Band’s formation.
The concert is on Friday, 20th October at 7pm and money raised will go towards installing friendship benches as part of the church’s new community garden project, where disused land in the grounds will be transformed to create an environment of peace and relaxation.
The 16-piece band was founded by Rose Fisher and Julie Mahoney, who wanted to provide music at events that would not normally be able to afford to hire a band.
The band prides itself on its friendliness and ability to deliver consistent quality performances without a conductor.
Rose and Julie have been with the band throughout, and during the last 25 years, the band has been a familiar sight at the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Memo Arts Centre, at local churches and at Marie Curie Hospice in Penarth.
Rowena Hughes, who is the band’s bookings secretary and a ministerial warden said: “We’ve already had several events to celebrate our anniversary, but the best is yet to come.
“In June, there was a day of family entertainment in the grounds of St Cadoc’s Church in Cadoxton. Lots of families turned up and the first half of the band’s performance was well-received, but during the second half the heavens opened so we were forced to run for cover.
“We were due to hold a Proms in the Park event at Knap Gardens on Sunday 9th July, but it absolutely lashed down with rain that day and there was no way the concert could go ahead.”
Rowena says that the upcoming (indoor) concert will appeal to all ages with an eclectic mix of traditional and modern music.
Rowena’s son Matthew Hughes joined the band a few months after it formed when he was just eight years old and he is still a member 25 years later: “When I joined the band more than 25 years ago I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. The ethos of the band has always remained the same, to bring people together with music and to raise money for charitable causes and community projects.”
The band’s co-founder and musical director Julie Mahoney said: “As we look forward to the next 25 years, our commitment to this mission remains to use the power of music to bring people together.”
The band has longstanding links with St Mary’s Church and money raised at the upcoming concert will help make the community garden project dream come true. Church warden Susan Borges said: “Many of the older parishioners remember the work over the years to remove heavy stones with the dream of it becoming a usable space.
“We are extremely grateful that Barry Brass Band have organised this concert for our garden, which will be a space for all age groups of our community.”
By MARCUS STEAD
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