Freckleton Band will be playing in a joint concert with the Lancashire Youth Brass Band as part of the Brass at the Seaside weekend. Our concert will be held at St Thomas’s Church in St Anne’s on Saturday 14th of July starting at 7:30PM (doors open at 7PM).

Details can be seen on the poster below.

On Sunday 17th July Freckleton Youth Band entertained the crowds at Bush Lane Playing Fields in Freckleton while the annual half marathon and fun run took place.

Several of the players took part in the fun run first – thankfully they weren’t too out of breath to then play in the band!

The weather was kind to us in the end and the band thoroughly enjoyed playing to the village.

Congratulations to John Mason who won the half marathon, completing it in an amazing 67 minutes.

We’re already looking forward to next year.

With Freckleton Club Day just around the corner on June 16th, the band is looking forward to marching around Freckleton on what we hope is a beautiful sunny day.

This is always the highlight of the year for the village of Freckleton as the whole community gets together to enjoy the festivities.

This is followed on Sunday (17th of June) by the Freckleton Half marathon. Here you will be able to listen to our Youth band playing their annual concert. We will be playing at around 2 PM on Bush Lane Playing Fields as the Half Marathon and then the Fun Run set off.

The Band will be putting on a concert in the Coach and Horses Car Park on May the 17th at 8PM so please come along and enjoy our music.

We are all hoping for some nice dry weather but it may be wise to bring an umbrella as we all know what English weather is like. You may also want to bring your own chairs so you can watch in comfort as it could be standing room only!

There is no admission fee but we will be having a raffle to help us raise money for a trip the Cheltenham later this year to compete in the National Brass Band finals .

Thanks for your support.

We are pleased to announce that Ashley Marston has joined the band on soprano cornet and Phil Edwards joins on euphonium. Welcome to Ashley and Phil.

£75         Val Martin-Warren 128

£50         P Bosley                       50

£25         Pauline Robinson      65

£20         Anthony Roocroft      18

£10         B Gooden                     69

£10         Jonathon Parton              4

£10         Sue Hankinson             145

Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for supporting the band.

Second place at the Northwest Regional Championships last week in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool means that the band qualifies for the 1st section National Finals at Cheltenham in September 2018. Drawn fifth in a field of 15 the band set the standard for the rest of the contest with some outstanding soloists and ensemble playing of James Curnow’s Brass Metamorphosis expertly directed by Musical Director Paul Dalton. Congratulations to Oldham Band who won and will join us in the finals and all the competitors.

The band’s busy season is almost at an end for this year culminating in our sell-out Christmas Concert at the Lowther Pavilion in Lytham last weekend. The band and junior band enjoyed playing, and hope the audience liked it too! Thanks to Tariq Ahmed for compering the concert for us and all the helpers who did great work behind the scenes to make it a success.

The band have been out carolling on the streets of Freckleton and will be out again on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day with the final carol and jingle bells at Ponky’s in the afternoon.

As the year draws to a close, the band would like to thank Margaret Mason for loaning us a van to transport our equipment to the engagements, Snape’s Butchers and all those in and around the village who have given us raffle prizes and donations.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has come to our concerts, it makes all the practice worthwhile.

Have a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

The band were saddened to hear that Jimmy Eaves passed away on the 15th December after a long stay in hospital.

“Jimmy started playing cornet with the Lytham Brass Band some time in the 1950s, unfortunately, this was the decade the Lytham band folded. He was asked to come to Freckleton Brass Band and joined early in the 1960s playing both Bb and soprano cornet.

In the late 1970s and 1980s he played soprano cornet with the Dutton Forshaw Band (Blackpool Brass) and then he temporarily retired. Jimmy loved marches so he was asked to return to Freckleton on Bass Drum – his first response was not printable, but gradually he came round to the idea after the drum was deposited at his home! On march days with Jimmy on drum you were never far away from a laugh and joke.

After surgery on his foot to amputate his big toe he gave up marching joking he could now only march in circles, however, for a while Jimmy played with the Freckleton Has Bins as the drummer on their mobile bandstand.

Jimmy will be remembered not just by the Freckleton Band but most bands on the Fylde who he played for or helped out at some time. He made many friends wherever he played and his friendship and sense of fun will be sorely missed.”

Mark Rossall