Welcome To The Official Website Of Winterley Methodist Brass Band

Below is the history of the Winterley Methodist Brass Band.  You can also see a list of the current players of the band and contact details in the coloumn on the right.

The band was formed in 1938 by seven young men at the church with the aim of providing an accompaniment to the hymns being sung by the Sunday School scholars and staff as they toured the village on several sunday mornings prior to their annual Sunday School Anniversary.  These seven men were Cliff Barnett, Rot Antrobus, Bill Newton, Cyril Bailey, Dave McClymon, Harold Newton and Eric Barnett.  These 'Singing Rounds' helped not only to publicise the forthcoming Anniversary, but also provided an oppurtunity for Christian witness in the open air.  Christmas time found the band touring Winterley and the neighbouring village of Haslington to play carols.

During the 1940s and 1950s, a steady number of new players joined the band.  However, compulsory service in HM forces frequently robbed the band of key players for several years on end.  During this time, demand for the services of the band steadily grew.  Occasional small concerts were given, but the main demand came from an increasing number of Sunday Schools requesting the band to accompany them on their 'Singing Rounds'.

Thanks to the dedication of its musical director and conductors during recent years, the band has continued to go from strength to strength and includes a very wide age range in its membership.  It performs several concerts each year and rehearses each Thursday evening.  It has never received sponsorship nor entered a competition and yet can boast that many players in premier brass bands began their playing career at Winterley.

In 1988 the band celebrated 50 years of playing.  This was marked by local the local band Fodens by a special concert in Sandbach Town Hall where the then Musical Director Howard Snell led an arrangement of 'Steal Away' which was then presented to founder member Cliff Barnett for the band to play, which they still do today.

In 2003 the band celebrated another milestone, 65 years of playing, which considering the recent demise of some other local brass bands is a large achievement.  This was celebrated by former band member John French, who now plays Euphonium with the famous Black Dyke Band, coming back to play with the band for Band Sunday and the concert was recorded onto CD.