2nd Rossendale Scout Group

If you pop along to the "Group Photos" page you can view the front pages from some of our past programs.

This section of the website informs people of the past events that have taken place.
Click on the links below to take you to the paragraph.

• The J-B-O Brass Quintet visit 
• Letter from the PM
• Whit Friday Results 2006
• "World Cup Football Fair"
• Concert with Fodens Richardson Band
• Brassed off !!!
• Trip to Taunton
• Carolling 2006
• Concert with Grimethorpe Colliery Band
• The Wedding in Taunton 
• The Band's Summer Tour
• O2 Arena - Live '07 Review

A fabulous youth quintet from Bocholt in Germany played a wide repertoire of brass music of all styles. The players, aged between 14 and 19, played in Towneley Hall as guests of the 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band on Sunday the 28th May from 12noon - 2:00pm.

What an excellent quintet.

They also attended 3 periods at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School which they helped the student out with. They started in a music lesson with Miss Roberts (HOD) which they player a variety of music for the pupils which they thoroughly enjoyed. The next period attended was German which they were really good at for some reason. They sat in this lesson and participated in the year 7 end of year exam which they got full marks in. The last lesson was another music lesson which was a bit different to the first one as there were two classes in one which made the room rather cramped.

Also, the Quintet attended a BBQ at Janet and Russel Helms' house which they also enjoyed.

Above Picture
Left to right: Sebastian (Tuba player), Ann-Christin (Trumpet player), Bodo (the Conductor), Nicole (Trumpet player), Severin (French Horn player) and Marina (Euphonium player)

A LETTER from the Prime Minister now has pride of place on the band room wall of 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band in Bacup.

Janet Anderson MP bought several copies of the Christmas CD produced by the band in association with Rossendale Ladies’ Choir and Rossendale Male Voice Choir.

Graham Helm, musical director, said: ‘She was one of the first people to buy our CD and she was asked for a copy by Tony Blair.

‘We originally got a short note from Janet saying that he had received the copy, and now he has had time to listen to it he has written to us personally.

‘We have sold about 800 copies of the CD – it has gone down really well. Between all of us, we have recouped the considerable amount put in by all three organisations to get it recorded – and increased our profile.’

Mr Blair’s letter said: ‘Please would you thank the members of the 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band and the two choirs involved for the CD and congratulate them for what they achieved.

‘I know what a deserved following the band has, both locally in Rossendale and indeed nationally.’

It is signed and offers them all best wishes.

Graham said: ‘It is really good for the young people that he has taken the time to listen to the CD and to write back. The letter will take pride of place on our band room wall.’

Anyone who wants to get hold of a copy of the CD, priced £10, can phone Graham on 07736 029 257.

On saturday 1st June, the Committee of the Scout Group held a "World Cup Football Fair".                     
Activites ranged from world cup darts to a raffle and a tombola. Also, Catherine Smyth from the Free Press,
painted faces of the children and even some adults.              Right: Rachel Walker as a tiger

Winners:                                                                                                                      

• World Cup Darts = Kevin Dempsey                                                   
• Football Quiz = Brett Aspden
• Guess the weight of the cake = Keenan from Cubs
  
  Auction
• Bacup Borough signed football shirt = Brett Aspden
• Blackburn Rovers signed photograph = Dave Burgess
  
  (More information to come)

On the 16th July 2006, The Fodens Richardson Band visited Bacup and put on a great program for the audience.

The first thing i must say is thank-you on behalf of the band to everybody that came and watched the show and everyone that supported us. All of the band and hopefully the audience thoroughly enjoyed it and were disappointed when it was all over.

Here is the blurb off the DVD to tell the people that have never seen or don't know about Brassed Off!

It's 1992 and the miners of Grimley Colliery are facing uncertainty. Not only is their pit under threat, but the Grimley Colliery Band is on the verge of breaking up - that is, until Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives.

As the only female member of the band, she somehow manages to rekindle their enthusiasm for the forthcoming National Championships, as well as rekindling a childhood romance with Andy (Ewan Mcgregor).

Led by the passionate Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) the band play on. Danny has his pride and his trombonist son, Phil (Stephen Tompkinson), has his problems. Problems which even Mr Chuckles, the clown, can't seem to help him solve.

With the National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall looming, can they all hold it together and secure a famous victory for Grimley?

Cast.

Gloria           -        Paula Giltrow-Shaw                                        
Shane           -        Laurence Giltrow-Shaw
Danny          -        Ken
Phil              -
Jim               -       Jim
Sandra         -       Dawn

On the 21st of october the band had a long journey to Taunton in Somerset where they lead a fantastic illuminated carnival and did a few concerts. On the saturday night the band formed into their lines and prepared for the march at the front of the carnival with their handy little torches on their heads. It took approximately 1hr 30mins to complete the carnival and after that all of the band watched the floats go past. There were a lot of floats in this prossession with thousands of lights on each and music blasting out of them.

There are now a few pictures of the band marching in Taunton Carnival if you pop along to the Group Photos link.

Just a little note to say thank-you to all who have helped collect this year and all of those people who have donated towards the Scout Group and Band.

We raised a grand total of

£4626

What can i say except WOW! 

On the 7th July 2007 the 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band played with the famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band who starred in the hit film Brassed Off!!!. It was a full house at the Royal Court Theatre with the audience ready for a spectacular performance.

The first half of the concert was the Grimethorpe Colliery Band who played some good pieces of music including "Death or Glory" and "William Tell" from the film Brassed Off.

The first 20 or so minutes of the 2nd half was us, the 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band. We played 4 pieces of African music which consisted of "Hymn for Africa", "Nayama", "African Funk" and "Do they know it's Christmas". We started playing in near darkness as the aim of our performance was to be set throughout the day eventually ending up in bright daylight. The Grimethorpe Colliery Band then finished the 2nd half fantastically.

The main point of this concert was to raise money for Brass Band Aid. We raised a very good total of £415. We would also like to thank the people who turned up to watch both our performances.

First of all i would like to congratulate Ben and Joanna on their marriage and hope they have a very happy future.

A small number of band members travelled down to Taunton at 6:45pm on the 20th July. We all hoped to reach our destination by approximately 12am the following morning. However, on our journey down we got caught in traffic which didn't seem to be a problem at first until we realised that our only route down was closed off due to flooding. The traffic seemed to be moving only very slightly now and again.
    One part of our journey consisted of us going overa short bridge which we were stationary on for at least 2 hours. Whilst we were there we got told of a man who got swept away by a river just across the road from us. We didn't know what to think.
    Queueing up in traffic is rather boring as you all probably know but we had a bit of light entertainment from the RAF helicopter circling over where we were and Phil Mcauley doing great impersonations of Victor Meldrew and the Daleks off Dr Who.
    We eventually arrived after 13 hours of travelling at our travel lodge where we went straight to the restaurant for our breakfast. After this we all got changed into our wedding gear that we had brought with us (except for Jenni Davies who accidentely left her dress hanging up at home so had to take a trip to the shop River Island to get another) and made our way to the church.
    The wedding ceremony was brilliant. The handsome groom and the dashing bride were pronounced husband and wife. During this ceremony we played pieces of misic to which the bridesmaids walked down the isle to and also for the bride to walk down to. These were The Golden Jubilee Fanfare and Canon (in D major). After they had been pronounced husband and wife they left the church to a piece of music named Trumpet Voluntary. We then followed on and played Congratulations on the grass outside the church.

Then came the reception.

    Here, the members of the band played various pieces of music such as The Lion King and The Wind Beneath My Wings etc whilst the guests arrived. Afterwards the band joined family and friends of the Bride and Groom for a lovely 4 course meal. The followed a wonderful disco where the Bride wasn't afraid to strutt her stuff.
    Nearing the end of what had been a fabulous day, the Bride and Groom left the party through a long arch of people. The party carried on for a little while after. The band then decided to go back to the travel lodge for a good nights sleep ready for the long journey ahead. One member of the band, not mentioning any names, decided to drink a little too much alcohol and threw up out of the back window of the minibus which wasn't ideal as we were going to be travelling in this the next day.
    At 10am the following sunday morning we decided to make tracks and travel back to rossendale ready for next friday's journey back down with all of the band to Taunton for a 10 day tour.

A thanks goes out from all band members to Graham the conductor of the band and Michael as this trip would not have been possible without them both.

Thank-you for inviting us all and hope to see you all again soon.

I have finally found time to put the free press article on the site that one of the band's 2nd Cornet players has kindly written.
This is what Oliver Sikora had to say about the event:

This summer we were asked as a band to go down to London and play in the Millennium dome now called the O2 arena. So consequently last Friday the band set off down to London from the band room in Bacup in a double decker coach even though we were only going for a weekend some thought they were moving house down to London. So on we got and with the atmosphere being of mixed electricity adrenaline rushes and nerves we all had a thoroughly enjoyable coach journey down with many sing songs led from the back of the coach. However with the journey starting around 7 and us arriving at the hotel in the London docklands at around midnight to be called at the dome for around 9 30 the following morning.

            So the next day we all got up and changed for our day at the dome, with our cooked breakfasts inside us we were prepared to task ahead of us. We arrived at the dome and got tagged in to the backstage area where we consequently found out our changing room was a Tent in the Loading bay which for temperatures could easily have passed for the artic.

                  Later we got our instruments out and walked into the empty arena for our rehearsal with the national scout and guide symphony orchestra. Looking around at this cavernous place truly made us finally realise the enormity of the task ahead. Seeing as Kanye West performed the night before us it was something definitely to remember as one of the most awe inspiring privileged places to play in our band lives. Then with the show that evening the atmosphere was certainly at a peak and the roar of the crowds raised the hairs on the back of our necks. The playing of both shows were to a high standard to say we had two audiences each consisting of 16000 people.

              Our Solo Horn player thought “ it was a truly amazing experience to be playing at the O2 arena and even though the weekend was tiring it brought us all closer together as a band  and one to reminisce over when were older”. Later that night after the show we all finally got back to the Hotel and  had a party with the national scout and guide symphony orchestra who’s company we enjoyed  a lot and made many new friends among them. The Sunday coach trip back was a very sleepy one with the band being tired from the previous nights antics.

             Overall the weekend was a very enjoyable one and everyone in the band and orchestra  enjoyed it and will be able to look back in later years and be proud of what we did and how the band conducted themselves over the whole weekend with behaviour and respect both being of high levels.