Bands Celebrate Promotion At Severn Vale

Performance Portfolio of the British Youth Band Association is pleased to announce three promotions following a great start to the 2008 season at Severn Vale Marching Band Championships, Upton, Worcestershire, on Saturday 7th June, 2008.

With immediate effect, the units listed are promoted as follows:-

Downsmen Corps from Junior Division to Division 3.

Beeches Cadets from Junior Division to Division 3.

Upton Youth Band from Division 3 to Division 2.

Paul Cartwright, Chair of Performance said, "this is a great achievement for each unit, and a credit to the members and staff who have worked so hard over the winter in order to start the season with a bang". He went onto say, "I look forward to seeing their programmes developed in a challenging environment, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we were to have more units promoted in the coming weeks".

Speaking directly of their promotions, the Band Masters and Corps Directors of those promoted had the following to say:-

Paul Heyes, Corps Director for Downsmen Corps said, " We are very pleased with our result at our first competition on returning to the BYBA circuit. And we are in agreement with the decision of our promotion to move up a division and believe this will benefit us in the rest of the season, we are now looking forward to the challenge that Division 3 will give us”

Andrew Dallison and Ian Freeth, joint Corps Directors for Beeches Cadets both commented, "We are looking forward to our promotion and taking on the challenge of division 3. The Beeches Cadets are back!"

Helen Lane, Bandmaster for Upton Youth Band adds, " Upton Youth Band are very proud to be promoted after their first show and are looking forward to rising to the challenge”

So the season has got off to a tremendous start and we’re sure these promotions have added to the general excitement across BYBA, as we move onto the next contests in the first half.