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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 3^rd consecutive year to compete in the Senior Trophy at the British Open Spring Festival on Saturday 11^th 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 7^th 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 17^th 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 7^th 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)

Best Cornet: Tom Hutchinson – Cory Band

Best Basses: 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 17^th 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 8^th. 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

The band once again competed in the Senior Trophy at the British Open Spring Festival on Saturday 13^th May 2023. The contest was held in the Spanish Hall at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, with the set test piece ‘The Accursed Huntsman’ by Cesar Franck and arranged by Edrich Siebert, selected to challenge the competing bands.

The band were placed 13^th in a field of 21 bands, with Mark Wilkinson and Brett Baker as adjudicators.

A highlight of the day was one of our Academy Band members, Iolo Evans, making his first contest appearance with the senior band, playing bass drum, alongside his dad on Flugel Horn.

Full results for the contest are below.

Position	Band	Conductor	Draw
1	Thundersley Brass	Melvin White	16
2	Amersham	Paul Fisher	12
3	Stannington Brass	Sam Fisher	14
4	Tylorstown	Robert Westacott	15
5	Tongwynlais Temperance	Owen Farr	13
6	Blackburn & Darwen	Daniel Thomas	5
7	Unison Kinneil	Raymond Tennant	21
8	Eccles Borough	Jon Davis	6
9	Longridge	Mark Peacock	7
10	Yorkshire Imperial	Garry Hallas	17
11	Easington Colliery	Stephen Malcolm	18
12	Ebbw Valley Brass	Gareth Ritter	19
13	Pontardulais	Paul Jenkins	10
14	Enderby	Stephen Phillips	8
15	Parc & Dare	Dewi Griffiths	9
16	Haverhill Silver	Paul Filby	2
17	Filton Concert Brass	Nathan Jenkins	1
18	Vernon Building Society	Adam Delbridge-Smith	3
19	Thoresby Colliery	Simon Oates	20
20	Bo’ness & Carriden	Charlie Farren	4
21	Haftield & Askern Colliery	Stan Lippeat	11

Best Instrumentalist: Keith Schroeter – Horn (Thundersley)