Brass band contest to fold unless help comes forward

Sep 18 2008 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE future of the Holme Valley Brass Band Contest is in doubt unless more organisers can be found.

Just three people are involved in arranging the 2009 contest and committee members are urgently looking for new members to join them.

They also want more brass bands to sign up and take part in the annual contest, including junior and school bands.

Committee member Carlton Mellor, 72, said: “For the last five or six years committee members have dwindled away and it is down to the last three of us to organise the contest and it is proving too much.

“We are hoping to continue the event as it has been going for 82 years now.

“At a meeting on Sunday we got three or four new people joining us and they seemed very enthusiastic about the event.

“Hopefully we will get more brass band members joining us in October and we can keep the contest going.”