MEMBERS OF Aldbourne Band are celebrating a hat-trick of successes so far in September and hope to add another at the weekend.

Its new website has been launched, a training band has been started and uniforms purchased, all in time for the national brass band finals in Cheltenham on Sunday.

A supporters’ coach will will leave Aldbourne in the morning for Cheltenham. For more details ,call Gavin Dixon on (0167) 541204.

Details of the band’s recent successes can be found on its website www.aldbourneband. org.uk which band members have designed and built together links to Facebook and Twitter.

Youth and development are keys to the future of any organisation and Aldbourne Band has initiated the formation of a training band with the help of St Michael’s School and The Friends of Aldbourne Band.

Janet Rowe is leading this project with the aim of forming a second band of people from any age group, capable of performing, which will also provide the players of the future for the main band.

The inaugural session took place on September 6 and rehearsals will start in earnest on Tuesday, September 27, at 7pm in the Memorial Hall.

The third achievement has been to buy new uniforms as some of the old ones had been around for 30 years.

A local benefactor has kindly offered to cover the costs of these and band chairman James Sheppard said: “It will be a joy to wear such high quality new uniforms.

“We have updated the Dabchick logo but kept similar colours to the original set.

“Brass banding is all about tradition. We did some research and found many examples of fashionable uniforms that quickly became outdated.

“We decided to stay with what works, looks smart and retains the well-known image of Aldbourne Band.”

Mr Sheppard added: “I know that the band will be wearing these new uniforms with great pride when we perform on Sunday at the national finals.”