December 11th saw the application of pure wind energy as the Armthorpe and Elmfield brass band conducted by Haydn Griffiths rattled the rafters at the Burghwallis pub. A welcome blast of hot air meant the annual British Legion carol concert was in full swing.
The versatility of the band proved Christmas carols were a natural for brass instruments. Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer to Handel’s Messiah failed to phase the band and had the ‘choir’ joining in signing with many officially recognised lyrics and even had a commendable crack at the semaphore associated with the Snow Waltz
The mince pies were jointly hosted by the Burghwallis pub and the British Legion who also sponsored the raffle. The whole event was kindly sponsored by Mr David Whitley of Corton Bashforth (screen printing).
The event was hugely enjoyable – but had a sting in the tail. You can only produce the sweet sounds of a brass band through dedicated practice. Unfortunately the Armthorpe and Elmfield brass band have lost the use of their normal practice room. If anyone knows of a suitable room, hall, works canteen or very large garage the band can use can you let us know using the comments box below. The suggestion of a double decker bus had to be rejected as Haydn found running up and down the stairs to coordinate two halves of the band a little too energetic.
Image courtesy of Pixomar at freedigitalphotos.net