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.

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.

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.

Grandmaster Hignett  As 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

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.Band jackets and wooly hats time for the start of our ‘summer’ fundraising tour

What 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)

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.

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.

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

What a historic and beautiful place to play.

It was lovely to be able to celebrate the wedding of two of our band members this year.

Their eyes met over the Woodwind /Brass divide and love blossomed between Stephen and Lucy. There was much covert activity and excitement before the big day.

Caroline even wrote a special song performed by a flash choir at the reception.

Here we see a selection of cakes and other goodies set out to surprise the happy couple when they were presented with a card and bottle of ‘Fizz’ from PCB band members.

Luckily Stephen and Lucy are always fashionably late for rehearsals so it gave us plenty of time before the big reveal at the last rehearsal before the big day.

PCB were honoured to join the happy couple to play during their ceremony.

As always ‘Songs that won the Wars’ that well known wedding favourite chosen by the groom brought a tear to the eye.

We wish them every happiness.

We managed to play every planned Xmas gig this year with a finale at our home ground outside Prudhoe Co-op.  Another cold and frosty morning!The Co-op and their customers were very generous to us this year enabling us to buy our lovely warm coats and hats.Thank you to the fine and hardy players of PCB who turned out in all temperatures this year. It was one of our coldest ever ‘Car Park’ Tours! Here we see our MD Mr ‘Bing’ Hignett giving a moving rendition of ‘White Christmas’ bringing a tear to the eye of several unwitting bystanders.We can now pack away our warm winter coats and hats until we next need them for our Summer tour.

Rehearsals start again on 13th January at Highfield School Prudhoe, so if anyone out there would like to join us come along and have a blow.

It was lovely to be invited back to close proceedings at the Hexham Xmas fair again.

This popular event got us in the mood for Christmas, we even got to play on a proper stage in the grounds of Hexham Abbey. White Christmas Theres always one!

It was looking touch and go the week leading up to our Gibside appearance with deep snow covering the North East.

Luckily it warmed up for a positively balmy performance (under gazebos (X2)) at 6 deg C.

When we last played Daniel Farm it was a lovely sunny summers day, not so for our ‘Winter Tour’!  Ice underfoot and an freezing artic wind chilled us to the bone.  It was the only recent  performance when we have had to be gritted to remain upright. Music stands slid around blown by the wind! Here we see Mr Lamb our esteemed Bass player who was heard to be hoping for ‘A gritty performance’ Sadly it was that cold that most of the visitors huddled together warming up inside the cafe.