UK Activity Life Vice President Presented To Alan Thompson

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At the recent British Winter Guard Championships one special award was presented.

10 years ago the activity in the United Kingdom was in a very different position. Drum Corps United Kingdom (DCUK) had been the Charity/Not for Profit which governed both the Drum and Bugle Corps and Winter Guard activity in the UK and in 2006 DCUK was in a very difficult position and was on the verge of ceasing to exist.

At this point one person stepped up and took the leadership and from the ashes Marching and Performing Arts UK was born which incorporated both the summer activity under the banner of Drum Corps United Kingdom and the winter under the Winter Guard United Kingdom (WGUK) name. This person was Mr Alan Thompson. Alan took the role as Chairman back in October 2006 and some 10 years later is still Chairman.

Alan is already a Fellow of DCUK and has just been inducted into the WGUK Hall of Fame, however Alan’s contribution to the activity goes far beyond this level of recognition both for his length of service and also for the quality of his strategic leadership of both the Drum Corps and Winter Guard activity together with his commitment to forging and cementing links with international partners including Drum Corps Europe, Drum Corps International, Winter Guard International, Color Guard Netherlands, Drum Corps Associates, Irish Marching Band Association and Drum Corps Netherlands. Alan’s dedication as Chairman is unsurpassed both in the length of service and the quality of work he undertakes.

As a result on Saturday 1st April 2017 Alan was awarded with the honour of becoming a Life Vice President of Marching and Performing Arts UK. In the entire 38 year history of the activity there have only been 4 such awards and this award represents the highest honour within the UK activity.

Life Vice President, Joe Fitzpatrick (left), is pictured here presenting Alan with his award.

Posted by on Tuesday, April 25th, 2017. Filed under Current News, Drum Corps U.K., FrontPage Feature.