SLFB At West Wickham URC Friday 16th March 2012

The Band’s annual visit to the Emmanuel United Reformed Church in West Wickham was received by a near capacity audience. The programme, compered by the band’s leader Major George Whittingham, included the March ‘Fighting for the Lord’, the Overture from Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’, and ‘A Glenn Miller Collection’.

Solo items were presented by Roger Gadsden (Rondo from Mozart’s 4th Horn Concerto), Les Swift with the vocal solo ‘You Raise Me Up’, and the band’s Associate Conductor, Darrell Scholes, who played the cornet solo ‘Zelda’.

The following is an article which will appear in the April edition of the church’s magazine:-

“We enjoyed an eclectic mix of music from the South London Fellowship Band in the Church, when once more they almost filled the place. Their programme ranged from light classical to Glenn Miller interspersed with beautiful harmonised singing from the band. The melodies they played from Grieg evoked thoughts of Norway with its high mountains, deep fjords, verdant valleys and long summer days, and the words and feelings expressed in “You raise me up” and “Rock of Ages” were truly great.
We are so grateful to the band for their willingness to return every year and we thank them for allowing the collection to go towards the restoration fund for Westminster College, Cambridge. The sum of £613 was raised.”

Engagements have been carried out at the following venues over the years and we are continuing with these on a regular basis:-

Upper Norwood

The United Reformed Church West Wickham

Sutton with guest soloist Maisie Wiggins – trombone

Northampton Central

Eastbourne Citadel

Hadleigh Temple

Royal Tunbridge Wells with guest soloist Nick Hudson – trombone

Gravesend St George’s Church

Penge Salvation Army – Divisional meeting “Come and Celebrate”

The United Reformed Church Herne Hill

Shaw Salvation Army, Lancashire

Redhill Salvation Army

Margate Citadel, Salvation Army

Rochester Prison for a Carol Service

Denmark Place Baptist Church (In aid of the Parkinson’s Disease Society)

Ipswich and Felixstowe

Blackpool Citadel

Thornton Heath

Croydon Citadel with the South London Youth Band (Leader Paul Graham)

Tour of Scotland and Northern England

Plymouth Exeter Hall, Whitleigh

Bromley “Open Rehearsal” and “Composers Night”

Brighton Congress Hall

St George’s Church Beckenham (10th Anniversary)

St Laurence Church Catford

Wellingborough

Boscombe

Chatham

Southend Citadel

Doncaster

Canterbury

Tunstall

Bedford

Ramsgate