WORCESTERSHIRE’s only surviving village silver band is gearing up for its biggest performance in living memory this Christmas in front of thousands of people.
The Bretforton Silver Band, based in Bretforton, is set to perform at Ricoh Arena in Coventry ahead of Wasps’ Gallagher Premiership clash against Harlequins next Saturday (December 21) where around 25,000 are people expected to attend.
All 38 members of the band will be performing a range of festive melodies in the Wasps Fan Village and outside the stadium before the game, before taking centre stage pitch side ahead of kick-off.
John Wood has been the musical director of the band for more than 20 years and revealed how the opportunity came about.
“I drive a taxi for a living and Wasps owner Derek Richardson is a regular customer of mine – we got talking one night about the band and he and his daughter Aimee invited us to perform at a game,” said John.
“The biggest crowd we have played to is around 5,000 people at one of our Last Night of the Proms events, so this is a massive occasion for everyone connected with the band and we’re all really excited to be able to showcase what we do on a bigger stage.
“The invitation is very timely, as we are embarking on a fund-raising drive to build a new building in Bretforton to accommodate a rising number of young people wanting to get involved with the band – so hopefully our appearance at the game will generate some further interest.”
The Bretforton Silver Band was formed in Bretforton in 1895 and has been running ever since, with members participating at least once a week and performing out in the community every weekend.
Aimee Richardson, charities and marketing executive at Wasps, said: “Wasps’ last home game before Christmas is a landmark festive occasion for thousands of families to have a day out and the Bretforton Silver Band will heighten the festive atmosphere ahead of the game.
“Their band has stood the test of time and they really deserve an opportunity to perform to a wider audience and show why they are so popular.
“To hear a band reverberating around the stadium before kick-off will be really special.”
