Being married to the current Musical Director, David Holland, for the past thirty…..???? years, my love affair with brass banding goes back a long way to the days when he was a player.  Our daughters, Melanie and Gwenneth couldn’t help but be influenced with the life as we followed him around the contest stage enjoying the atmosphere.

My involvement with Haslingden & Helmshore Band began with the girls joining the band, as I chauffeured them forwards and backwards to twice weekly rehearsals and engagements.  I was such a regular member that I was asked to join the committee.  The band however began to suffer a shortage of players, struggled keeping conductors, lost its long term secretary through retirement and generally looked to be going the way of many small village bands……………………………. and so the legend began!!!!

On a very tearful journey home from rehearsal one evening when only a handful of players had turned up I vowed to my daughters that “the band would not collapse…….not if I could help it!”  Such bravado gained me the honour of being appointed band secretary.  I accepted gracefully but specified that I would only take on the position in the short term for a couple of years as I felt the band should have an experienced player/secretary.     SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER AND STILL HERE!

At the time of my appointment the band did not have a ‘stick wagger’, therefore my first task was to obtain the services of a conductor.  My dastardly plan was hatched. I would ply my husband with a couple of bottles of his favourite tipple, flutter my ‘bambi’ eyelashes at him and plead with his sense of decency to come to the aid of the band and just ‘wag the stick’ for them at rehearsals.  HE REFUSED. I resorted to Plan B.  I screamed at him, bawled my eyes out, asked him what sort of a father was he to see his daughters suffer each week attending rehearsals without a conductor.  IT WORKED. David was adamant he would only wag the stick for a few weeks as “he had no conducting experience, certainly didn’t want the job in the first place, was only interested in playing and the sooner another conductor was found the better!” SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER AND HE’S STILL HERE.

Our partnership was cemented – not so much Marks & Spencer but more Bambi & Thumper.  The band's fortunes began to improve despite the bandroom going up in flames caused by vandals.  We rebuilt and refurbished.  New players began to walk through the door.  We applied for a lottery grant and were successful.  We also made petition to our local area association to become a contesting band once more.

I suppose at this point I should have sat back on my laurels satisfied we had stopped the rot.  But Oh No!  Once again I felt a challenge presenting itself to me and by this time I was unstoppable.  In 1994 we were about to enter our first contest which happened to be the Manchester District Contest.  The band was rehearsing Petit Suite de Ballet.  Just 3 weeks before the contest our then resident drummer, Ken Bower, said he couldn’t possibly manage to play both percussion parts and that some cymbal and bass drum would have to be left out.  He was unhappy as he felt this may be detrimental to the result.  No matter how we tried we could not obtain a 2nd percussionist. Its at times like this that I find my mouth has a way of saying things without the brain actually working it………….and so I heard myself stupidly say “I’ll do it, how hard can playing a cymbal & bass drum be?”. Three weeks later I was on the stage playing with my band.  A monster was born!
I have to thank the players of Haslingden & Helmshore Band  past and present for putting up with my attempts to become a percussionist.  Whilst not exactly in the same class as Simone Rebello, what I lack in expertise I make up in enthusiasm.  My playing career has taken me from the 4th section to our present 1st section status.   I hope to continue performing with the band long after my secretary days are over.