LGB Brass is part of a national initiative launched by Brass Bands England to save the many UK brass bands who are struggling to survive through the COVID-19 pandemic. Brass bands are a core of their local community, and many risk disappearing altogether without your help.
As our revenue for 2020 and much of 2021 has been wiped out, we're looking to raise funds for our centenary celebrations in 2022. As well as putting on a special weekend of concerts for the local community, friends and supporters of the band in July 2022, we want to record a commemorative CD to mark the occasion. This is where you come in. You can make a donation towards our planning and fundraising efforts, enabling us to have a professional recording of a selection of pieces, including an original commission for LGB Brass by Christopher Bond. In addition/alternatively, you might want to bid for a LGB-specific reward, ranging from a VIP centenary invite and cd to conducting the band. Read on for further details.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Our brass band faces an uncertain future because we don't know when we can get back to doing what we love and are good at - playing in front of our local supporters and wider community. As we turn our attentions to LGB's longer term sustainability, in terms of encouraging and supporting the next generation of brass players in our area, making a big splash for our centenary celebrations at the end of this challenging period is something to both look forward to and inaugurate the next chapter of the band's story.
About LGB Brass
Until 2002, LGB Brass was known as the Glynde and Beddingham Brass Band.
The band was formed in 1922 by William Turner, the station master at Glynde, the downland village between Lewes and Glyndebourne opera house. It rehearsed in Glynde Reading Room and all the original players came from the village or nearby Beddingham. Mr Turner himself was the band’s original Musical Director.
Over the years, the band attracted musicians from the surrounding towns of Eastbourne, Lewes and Brighton.
To reflect the wider membership, we changed our name in 2002 to Lewes, Glynde and Beddingham Brass – or LGB Brass. At the same time, Lewes Town Council invited us to move our base to the All Saints Arts Centre in Lewes.
We are now able to promote our own concerts in the art centre’s auditorium, as well as continue our popular performances throughout East and West Sussex.
As you can see from our contest history below, we've enjoyed a fairly meteoric rise from the fourth section in 2010 to second section London and Southern Counties champions in 2018. We want to build on this success going forward and this crowdfunding project is one way to enable that.
Contest history
- Champions – 2018 London and Southern Counties Championship (2nd Section)
- Winner – 2018 scaba Spring Contest (1st section) – Best Testpiece
- Winner – 2018 scaba Spring Contest (1st section) – Best Horn Section
- Winner – 2018 scaba Spring Contest (1st section) – Best Bass Section
- Winner – 2018 scaba Spring Contest (1st section) – Best Tenor Trombone (Peter Cowlett)
- Winner – 2018 scaba Spring Contest (1st section) – Best Bass Trombone (Jane Stewart)
- Winner – 2018 scaba Spring Contest (1st section) – Best Conductor (Ian Stewart)
- Winner – 2017 scaba Band of the Year
- Winner – 2017 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Best Hymn Tune
- 2nd place – 2017 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Best Testpiece
- Winner – 2017 Best Soloist scaba Entertainment Contest (2nd section) – Jon Smith
- Winner – 2017 scaba Entertainment Contest (2nd section) – Best Trombone Section
- 2nd place – 2017 scaba Entertainment Contest (2nd section)
- Winner – 2017 scaba Spring Contest (2nd section) – Best March
- Winner – 2017 scaba Spring Contest (2nd section) – Best Testpiece
- Winner – 2017 scaba Spring Contest (2nd section) – Best Instrumentalist – Simon Emberley
- Winner – 2017 scaba Spring Contest (2nd section) – Best Trombone Section
- Winner – 2017 scaba Spring Contest (2nd section) – Conductor’s Prize – Ian Stewart
- Winner – 2016 scaba Band of the Year
- Winner – 2016 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section)
- Winner – 2016 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Best Hymn Tune
- Winner – 2016 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Best Horn Section
- Winner – 2016 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Best Bass Section
- Winner – 2016 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Best Solo Horn – Angela Holloway
- Winner- 2016 scaba Autumn Contest (2nd section) – Conductor’s Prize – Ian Stewart
- 2nd place – 2016 scaba Entertainment Contest (2nd section)
- Winner – 2016 Best Soloist scaba Entertainment Contest (2nd section) – Alex Emberley
- 2nd place – 2016 scaba Spring contest (2nd section)
- Winner – 2016 Best Instrumentalist scaba spring contest (2nd section) – James Emberley,
- Winner – 2016 scaba spring contest Senior Slow Melody (2nd section) – James Emberley
- 2nd place – 2016 scaba spring contest Senior Slow Melody (2nd section) – Tom Littlewood
- 3rd place – 2016 scaba spring contest Senior Slow Melody (2nd section) – Christina Kearley
- Winner – 2016 scaba solo and duet Senior Air Varie (2nd section) – James Emberley
- 2nd place – 2016 scaba solo and duet Senior Air Varie (2nd section) – Christina Kearley
- 3rd place – 2016 scaba solo and duet Senior Air Varie (2nd section) – Tom Littlewood
- Winner – 2016 scaba solo and duet Senior Duet (2nd section) – Alex Emberley & Christina Kearley
- 2nd place – 2016 scaba solo and duet Senior Duet (2nd section) – Tom Littlewood & Chris Yate
- 3rd place – 2015 scaba Autum Contest (2nd section)
- Winners – 2015 scaba Entertainment Contest (2nd section)
- Winners – 2015 Quartet (2nd Section)
- Winners – 2015 Senior Solo (Adam Kearley)
- National Champions – 2013 (3rd Section)
- Qualifiers – 2013 National Brass Band Championship Finals (3rd Section)
- Runners up – 2013 London and Southern Counties Championship (3rd Section)
- Winners – 2012 scaba Entertainment Contest
- Winners – 2012 scaba Spring Contest
- Third place – 2012 London and Southern Counties Championship (3rd Section)
- Qualifiers – 2011 National Brass Band Championship Finals (4th Section)
- Champions – 2011 London and Southern Counties Championship (4th Section)
- Winners – 2011 scaba Entertainment Contest
- Qualifiers – 2010 National Brass Band Championship Finals (4th Section)
- Runners up – 2010 London and Southern Counties Championship (4th Section)
About Save Our Brass Bands
Brass bands exist in every corner of the UK, with over 30,000 people of all ages and standards taking part in weekly activity – rehearsing, performing and providing entertainment for their local community.
But we risk losing this forever.
Brass Bands saw their main source of income disappear in an instant when they ceased being able to perform in March in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Months later, we still don’t know when normal performances will be able to take place. A significant loss in income over the Summer months, paired with necessary expenditure needed to make rehearsal spaces Covid compliant means that many Brass Bands are in a perilous financial situation.
Without urgent support, we could lose our nation’s amazing Brass Bands. Please help us to make sure they survive this crisis and will be there to be enjoyed by future generations.
#SaveOurBrassBands
Please donate, share this page widely and do what you can to help us to make sure our Brass Bands survive this crisis.