We’re Back!

Its been a difficult time for everyone during the Covid 19 pandemic but we are now in a position to resume rehearsals following relaxation of national Covid restrictions. We hope everyone has remained well during this time. Many thanks to everyone who donated towards our Xmas video and for everyone using our webshop. This has meant that we have had some income to keep us afloat and enable us to restart.

We are therefore planning to meet on 11th September at our usual venue, Highfield Middle School Baton down 9.45 am!

We will still follow a degree of social distancing and hygiene measures to minimise any risk of Covid19 transmission.

We are always happy to welcome new members as this is the start of our band year so it is a good time to come along.

Covid19 (20, 21 Update)

There was a glimmer of hope that we might have been able to get back to playing together again but the recent extension of Covid restrictions due to the so called ‘3rd Wave’ takes us into our usual summer break. We are hopeful that things may be getting back to normality to aim at resuming rehearsals and events in September but this obviously depends on guidance at that time.

Keep an eye on the calendar in the meantime.

PCB release their very own Xmas Zoom Tune ‘A Fairytale of New York’

We would usually be out and about playing all our favourite Xmas tunes and raising money for band funds at this time of year. Sadly the Covid-19 pandemic has curtailed all such activity so we decided to try and do something virtually and get together over the ether to produce our very own Xmas Video ‘A Fairytale of New York’

Our chief ‘Herder of Cats’, Caroline Guirr, has spent the last few weeks putting everything together and the resulting video is brilliant. Many thanks to Caroline and Mr D O’Hignorhan for the lovely arrangement of the Kirsty McColl and the Pogues classic.

If you would like to support the band with a donation you can now do so through the PayPal link below. You can do this even without a PayPal account.

We do appreciate any donations and hope you enjoy the video.

Happy Xmas and best wishes for 2021 from Prudhoe Community Band.

PCB Mothballed (Covid -19)

Keen eyed readers will have noted that our calendar of events has dwindled due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. We are all socially distancing and keeping our heads down until it all blows over.

We will be following guidance regarding when we might be able to resume rehearsals and gigs so watch this space.

Hope everyone keeps safe and well and see you in happier times

In The Bleak Midwinter

We are currently in the middle of our pre Xmas fundraising tour to try and raise money for band funds. Many thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to donate something in our charity buckets.

We have had some nice dry inside venues for a change and would like to thank Tanfield Railway, Newcastle United F.C. Prudhoe Co-op and Newcastle Central Station for making us so welcome.

Newcastle United Xmas Fayre at St James Park

Nest week we will be at Hexham Xmas Market before our final Gig at Newcastle Central station to round off the term.

Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2020 from Prudhoe Community Band.

It’s Nearly Xmas

The fine players of PCB have been having a well deserved rest over the long summer break, some more well deserved than others.

Our MD Mr Hignett has been hard at work laying paving flags between his many holiday trips.

It’s apparently important that Trumpet playing conductors protect the very delicate thumb and first three fingers of the right hand from injury. To this end we have seen photographic evidence that most of the flags were laid by Mrs B. Hignett, no relation, and his long suffering son!

We were sad to say goodbye to Alexis Cairns at her last Gig with us in Newcastle Central Station. Alexis has been with us for many years and will be greatly missed, we wish her well in her further studies in Music Education at the University of York.

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As we reach the season of ‘mist and mellow fruitfulness’ winter approaches and ones thoughts turn to reconvening for music making and merriment!

To that end our room booker in chief and esteemed Treasurer Mr Lamb has once again secured the use of our rehearsal facilities at Highfield School, with baton down at 9.45 on 7th Sept 2019.

We always welcome new members young and old alike so now is a good time to come along if you want to dust off that instrument in the cupboard and have a go.

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PCB at Beamish (not on the Bandstand)

The Band love to play at this great venue but a last minute change of plan saw us in the warm and dry of the Masonic Hall playing under the all seeing Eye.

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IMG_3508Grandmaster Hignett IMG_3533 IMG_3523 IMG_3536As he often reminds us Mr Hignett has royal connections having played for the Queen (Eliz 2 not Victoria), so is well used to such grand surroundings

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Northumberland County Show

A dodgy weather forecast proved right this year with cold winds and rain greeting us for our annual performance at our local County show.  MD Mr Hignett seen here again with his twin brother Zelig Hignett, all the way from Ellesmere Port.IMG_2203Band jackets and wooly hats time for the start of our ‘summer’ fundraising tourIMG_2206

 

IMG_2204What a stalwart bunch we are!

We will be playing out and about over the Summer term so come along and see us. (See events calendar for dates and detail)

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Joint Concert Ponteland Memorial Hall

We had a lovely evening playing music with our friends Whittonstall and Ponteland Community bands recently.

Many thanks to Ponteland Community Band for hosting us in the palatial Ponteland Memorial Hall, and thank you to everyone who came along to make the evening such a great success.

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Beamish

This was the first time that the band has managed to play at Beamish so we were all looking forward to it.  The Bandstand is near the old town so we had to dig out all our old favourites including ‘Songs that won the Wars’ to keep Stephen happy, fresh from his honeymoon, and with a spring in his step.

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The organisers made us very welcome and we had a great appreciative crowd enjoying the music and sunny weather.

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What a historic and beautiful place to play.

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