Nigel Birch Musical Director of the Lions Youth Brass Band

Lions Youth Brass Band

Nigel Birch the Musical Director of the Lions Youth Brass based in Sandbach gave an enthusiastic insight into the history, activities and achievements of what I suspect has become his band.

Nigel enthralled by brass bands in his early childhood joined the Haslington Boy Brigade Band as a very young man aged 12, playing the Cornet.

He then joined the Roberts Bakery Brass Band leaving in 1984 to play in the World famous Fodens Band of Sandbach. Later he rejoined the Roberts Bakery Band as the Band manager.

In 1988 he returned to the Lions Youth Brass as conductor bringing his drive and vast experience.

Children can start playing as six, often before they can read and write and are carefully tutored as they progress by stages to age 18 when they leave the band.

Because they leave at 18 all the youngsters have a chance to graduate according to their competence to become senior players. This gives a natural atmosphere of encouragement and sense of achievement to both players and devoted parents who ferry them to practices.

A Registered Charity the band is supported by Sandbach Rotary Club who have awarded Nigel with a well  earned Paul Harris Fellowship.

Nigel explained they have about 120 members aged between 8 and 16 and with an annual turnover of £50,000 this is a serious enterprise with amazing achievements. In 1994and 1995, they became the Champion Youth Band of Great Britain.

Now widely recognized they take 40 -50 players on a week long tour both in the UK and on the continent.

Sandbach is indeed a very fortunate town to have such a selfless group of people willing to give up their time to foster such a wonderful enterprise for the benifit of young people.

Robin Latham