Pontarddulais Town Band is proud to mark the 80th anniversary of its reformation after the war with a special concert on Saturday 13th June 2026 at Pontarddulais Sports Hall.
While the band’s history stretches back even further, this milestone celebrates 80 years of continuous music-making at the heart of the community. Under Musical Director Paul Jenkins, the programme will reflect both our heritage and our ongoing commitment to the future.
We are delighted to welcome Garry Owen as compere, with special guests Cor Meibion Pontarddulais, and performances from our own Brass@Bont Academy Band—showcasing the next generation of local talent.
Doors open at 5:30pm, with the concert starting at 6:00pm. Tickets are £12, with free entry for primary school pupils.
Join us for an evening celebrating 80 years of music, community, and tradition.
Pontardulais Band will look forward to a busy contesting year boosted by new arrivals to our ranks.
We have welcomed the return of David Thomas, Jayne Kinnear and Julian Smith along with the new signings of Kristian Rowe and Andrew John.
Experience
David Thomas returns on repiano cornet after enjoying a successful 20 year tenure playing with Tredegar, with the equally experienced duo of Jayne Kinnear and Julian Smith taking the second baritone and Eb tuba roles. Kristian and Andrew both join on solo cornet, also bringing with them a significant amount of playing experience.
Excited
MD, Paul Jenkins: “We’re really excited to welcome these experienced players as we prepare for the Welsh Open and Welsh Area Championships.
Pontardulais Band has always been about friendship, teamwork, and making great music — and its clear our new players fit right in as we look towards creating an exciting future together.”
Thank You to SCVS and Mynydd y Gwair Windfarm Community Fund for Supporting a Greener Future for Pontarddulais Town Band
Pontarddulais Town Band would like to extend our sincere thanks to Swansea Council for Voluntary Service (SCVS) and the Mynydd y Gwair Windfarm Local Community Fund for their generous grant, which has enabled us to install new solar panels at our band room.
This vital funding marks an exciting step forward for our band, not only helping us to reduce our environmental impact but also significantly lowering our long-term energy costs. The installation of solar panels ensures that our facilities are more sustainable, allowing us to focus more resources on what we do best — making music and enriching our community.
We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of SCVS and the Mynydd y Gwair Community Fund in helping local organisations like ours grow and thrive. This investment will have a lasting impact on the band and our members for years to come.
Thank you for helping us build a brighter and greener future for Pontarddulais.
Join us for our Annual Concert at Pontardulais Comprehensive School. Enjoy a feast of music as all 5 bands from the Bont will be performing – Buzztastics, Little Bonty Brass, Brass@Bont Community Band, the Youth Band, and the Senior Pontardulais Town Band!
The band returned to Blackpool for a 3rd consecutive year to compete in the Senior Trophy at the British Open Spring Festival on Saturday 11th May 2024. Inside the sweltering Spanish Hall at the Winter Gardens, the band performed the set test piece ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ by Peter Graham.
The band were pleased to be awarded 7th place in a field of 17 bands, equaling the result from 2022. The adjudicators were Helen Douthwaite-Teasdale and John Doyle. Thanks go to Matthew Jenkins who stepped in to conduct the band with Paul Jenkins being unavailable.
Full results for the section are below.
Position
Band
Conductor
Draw
1
Ebbw Valley Brass
Gareth Ritter
9
2
Newtongrange Silver
Anne Crookston
3
3
Haverhill Silver
Matthew Brown
12
4
Marsden Silver
Andrew Lofthouse
16
5
Tongwynlais Temperance
Owen Farr
4
6
Roberts Bakery
Mike Jones
14
7
Pontardulais
Matthew Jenkins
11
8
Enderby
Gareth Brindle
13
9
Eccles Borough
Mareika Gray
2
10
East London Brass
Jayne Murrill
6
11
Blackburn & Darwen
Daniel Thomas
17
12
Woodfalls
Paul Holland
1
13
Longridge
Mark Peacock
15
14
Parc & Dare
Dewi Griffiths
10
15
Yorkshire Imperial
Garry Hallas
8
16
Unison Kinneil
Raymond Tennant
7
17
Easington Colliery
Michael Fowles
5
Best Instrumentalist: Stephen Sykes – Trombone (Ebbw Valley)
In its second appearance in the Championship Section at the Welsh Regional Championships following promotion to the section ahead of the 2023 contesting season, the band performed the set test piece, ‘Variations on an Enigma’ by Philip Sparke, at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea on Sunday 17th March 2024.
In a section containing two bands that had already pre-qualified for the Finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain to be held at the Royal Albert Hall later in the year, the band was awarded 7th place in a field of 8 bands.
Full results for the section are below.
Position
Band
Conductor
Draw
1
Cory Band
Philip Harper
1
2
Tredegar Town Band
Ian Porthouse
7
3
Tongwynlais Temperance Band
Owen Farr
2
4
Ebbw Valley Brass
Gareth Ritter
5
5
Tylorstown Band
Robert Westacott
6
6
Llwydcoed Band
Joshua Ruck
3
7
Pontardulais Town Band
Paul Jenkins
8
8
City of Cardiff (M1) Band
Christopher Bond
4
Best Instrumentalist: Glyn Williams – Euphonium (Cory Band)
The band started its 2024 contesting season with an appearance at the Welsh Open Entertainment Contest, held at The Riverfront in Newport on February 17th 2024.
Fourteen Championship and First Section bands competed, with adjudicator Sheona White tasked with selecting a winner. The band was pleased with its performance, which was narrated by the event’s compère, David Hayward, and were placed 8th. The band choose to present the following ‘Peter Pan’ themed programme:
The Flight to Neverland, John Williams arr. Sofie Brems Sørensen
A Motley Crew, Trad arr. Philip Harper
Tango, Gavin Higgins
Beneath the Stars, Jonathan Bates
Main Theme from Cutthroat Island, John Debney arr. Philip Harper
Full results for the contest are shown below.
Position
Band
Conductor
Draw
Points
1
Ebbw Valley Brass
Gareth Ritter
8
196
2
Wantage Silver Band
Chris King
9
195
3
Parc & Dare Band
Dewi Griffiths
14
194
4
Llwydcoed Band
Joshua Ruck
11
193
5
City of Cardiff (M1) Band
Daniel Hall
3
192
6
Tongwynlais Temperance Band
Owen Farr
13
190
7
Tylorstown Band
Rob Westacott
4
189
8
Pontardulais Town Band
Paul Jenkins
7
188
9
Milton Keynes Brass
Matthew Brown
10
186
10
Filton Concert Brass
Gary Davies
6
185
11
Forest of Dean Brass
Martyn Patterson
2
184
12
B. T. M. Band
Jeff Hutcherson
1
183
13
Lympstone Band
Nigel Seaman
5
182
14
Chapeltown Silver Prize Band
Colum O’Shea
12
181
Highest Placed First Section Band not in Prizes: Milton Keynes Brass
Most Entertaining Stage Presentation: Llwydcoed Band
Best Soloist: Imogen Fewster – baritone (Wantage Silver Band)
Best Cornet Player: Becky Cale (Llwydcoed Band)
Best Soprano Player: Brian Thomas (Wantage Silver Band)
Best Horn Section: Parc & Dare Band
Best Euphonium: Alison Millin (Forest of Dean Brass)
Best Trombone Section: Ebbw Valley Brass
Best Tuba Section: Ebbw Valley Brass
Best Percussion Section: City of Cardiff (M1) Band
Youngest Instrumentalist: Garyn Jones (Parc & Dare Band)
Invitation to compete at the 2024 Spring Festival: Parc & Dare Band
