Remembrance Reflections
Remembrance is always a busy time of year, for cornet players in particular. This year was especially poignant as 5 East of England Co-op players travelled to France at the beginning of November and were proud to represent the East of England Co-op Band within a massed band of players from multiple bands across Eastern England, known as ‘Anglia Brass’.
Whilst in France, the Last Post and Sonnerie Aux Morts (French Last Post) was performed by Georgi at the Villers Bocage Cemetery in a joint Anglo-French remembrance service. Simon performed the Last Post in a further moving ceremony at Naours Church.
Back on British soil, a total of 7 further Last Posts have been played by players, one of which by Steve Anstead at Southend United’s Roots Hall was shown live on TV and streamed across the world on TikTok.
Poppy on a Salvation Army Band Cap
Remembrance is always a busy time of year, for cornet players in particular. This year was especially poignant as East of England Co-op players Georgi Hawkes-Wright (Cornet), Simon Fenn (Cornet), Steve Anstead (Cornet), Dan Wright (Flugel) and Murray Smith (Euphonium) travelled to France at the beginning of November and were proud to represent the East of England Co-op Band within a massed band of players from multiple bands across Eastern England, known as ‘Anglia Brass’.
The East of England Coop Band contingent in Anglia Brass
Whilst in France, the Last Post and Sonnerie Aux Morts (French Last Post) was performed by Georgi at the Villers Bocage Cemetery in a joint Anglo-French remembrance service. Simon performed the Last Post in a further moving ceremony at Naours Church.
Cornet player Simon Fenn in action
Back on British soil, a total of 7 further Last Posts have been played by players, including:
St Mary’s Church, Bentley, Suffolk – Simon Fenn
Stowmarket Civic Ceremony – Jamie Potter-Steel
St Mary’s Church, Burstall, Suffolk – Georgi Hawkes-Wright
St Mary’s Church, East Bergholt, Suffolk – Dan Wright
St Peter’s Church, Repps Cum Bastwick, Norfolk – Linda Purdy
Ipswich Town Football Club – Jon Holden
Southend United Football Club – Steve Anstead
Steve Anstead’s last post at Roots Hall was live on TV, and shown around the world as it was also streamed live on TikTok
Steve Anstead with the Captains of Southend United and Carlisle United before his presentation of The Last Post at Roots Hall.
Winners!
The Band made the long journey to Desford, near Leicester, on Sunday 26th October for the Leicestershire Brass Band Association own choice contest. Our MD Mark Ager had chosen George Lloyd’s “Diversions on a Bass theme” for our test piece and his knowledge and experience with this piece helped the band immensely in our preparations.
The band were pleased with their performance but you never know with contesting and the final band to play, Elland, certainly put in a strong performance with another George Lloyd piece (English Heritage) so we were by no means complacent. However when Elland were announced as runners up we knew we were in with a chance of a win and the confirmation of this was greeted by jubilant celebrations by the majority of the band and our supporters who stayed behind to wait for the results.
MD Mark went on stage to collect the huge winner’s shield from Paul Norley who told Mark that he really liked our approach and the orchestral sound and style needed for George Lloyd’s music.
The written comments from Paul Norley concluded as follows:
“Clearly a band of real quality with some excellent individual contributions….a convincing, well directed and very musical performance”
The band were jubilant afterwards and this was a great reward following months of hard work put in. Our bass section particularly enjoyed the adjudicator’s comment that they were “Nimble and full of panache”!
The Band made the long journey to Desford, near Leicester, on Sunday 26th October for the Leicestershire Brass Band Association own choice contest. Our MD Mark Ager had chosen George Lloyd’s “Diversions on a Bass theme” for our test piece and his knowledge and experience with this piece helped the band immensely in our preparations. The piece was originally commissioned in 1986 of for the Mine Workers’ National Brass Band Championships and with the sponsor of the composition being Bass Breweries the title is something of a play on words with many cognoscenti saying it should be correctly pronounced in the same way as the brewery (or the fish!) rather than the tuba section of a brass band. Whatever the truth is, George Lloyd himself wrote: “This piece is a set of variations. … a number of tunes grow out of the first bar, played by the Basses, which provides the motif for the whole work.”
Warming Up in the local church hall
Our contest secretary, Trevor Laird, had booked the local church hall for a pre-contest warm up and rehearsal and we gathered there at 12:30. The band were in good spirits and a confident mood despite the thermonuclear heater behind the tubas bringing a whole new dimension to the concept of warming up!
We then made our way to Bosworth Academy, a new venue for the contest for this year, where we had drawn to play third out of the eight First Section bands taking part. Adjudicator Paul Norley had the unenviable task of trying to compare eight different pieces played by the competing bands and ranking them in order. Bands had travelled from far and wide - Soham Comrades and Tilbury were there from our own London and Southern Counties Region, along with more local bands from the Midlands Area like Stamford, Bedworth, Oddfellows, Hucknall & Linby, and also Elland Silver Band from Yorkshire.
The band were pleased with their performance but you never know with contesting and the final band to play, Elland, certainly put in a strong performance with another George Lloyd piece (English Heritage) so we were by no means complacent. However when Elland were announced as runners up we knew we were in with a chance of a win and the confirmation of this was greeted by jubilant celebrations by the band and our supporters, the majority of whom had stayed behind to wait for the results.
MD Mark went on stage to collect the huge winner’s shield from Paul Norley who told Mark that he really liked our approach and the orchestral sound and style needed for George Lloyd’s music.
MD Mark Ager with adjudicator Paul Norley (Photo courtesy Leicestershire BBA)
The written comments from Paul Norley concluded as follows:
“Clearly a band of real quality with some excellent individual contributions….a convincing, well directed and very musical performance”
The band were jubilant afterwards and this was a great reward following months of hard work put in.
The full results on the contest
Winners!
Our bass section particularly enjoyed the adjudicator’s comment that they were “Nimble and full of panache”!
Band Chairman Keith Moye handles the shield with pride
Celebrating together on the way home.
Contest Ready for Sunday
Bosworth Academy
The band has now had its final rehearsal for this Sunday’s Leicestershire Brass Band Association Contest which is being held for the first time at Bosworth Academy in Desford (LE9 9JL).
We are one of eight bands competing in the First Section, which is scheduled to take place between 14:30 and 16:45. Paul Norley is the adjudicator and he will have eight different test pieces to listen to as it’s an “own choice” contest. We’ll let you know which one is ours after the event.
Tickets and programmes are available on the door, so if you fancy supporting the band you’d be most welcome. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the results.
New Album Now Released
Our new recording “Studio Showcase” was released on 10th October 2025
The new recording from the East of England Co-op Band has now been released and is available for purchase. The recording is a brand-new collaboration album between East of England Co-op Band and Studio Music. This album, Studio Showcase, brings together fresh compositions and overlooked gems, spotlighting Studio Music’s extensive catalogue of works for the brass repertoire.
Programme Highlights Include:
The Platinum Jubilee March by Chris Shelton — Originally premiered at the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Parade, this stirring march honours Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign.
Mountain Day by William Himes — A sweeping overture inspired by the Rocky Mountains, capturing the spirit of adventure and reflection.
When You Believe by Stephen Schwartz arr. Richard Phillips — Featuring Principal Euphonium Harry Stubbs in a heartfelt rendition of the hit from The Prince of Egypt.
Four Dances from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky arr. Philip Sparke — A colourful brass reimagining of the ballet’s iconic movements.
The Band will have copies to buy at our Christmas Concerts and the good news is that all physical copies of the CD also come with a download code.
If you can’t wait until then to listen, then the album can be streamed on the brass band streaming platform, Wobplay, https://tinyurl.com/yt6xt8m9
You can also purchase the album for download from World of Brass https://tinyurl.com/y9mx5ymf and from Amazon Music https://tinyurl.com/ypfrymzb
It was good to see the album being promoted by our good friends Just Music and World of Brass (alongside the new recording from Cory Band) at the National Brass Band Championship Finals at the Royal Albert Hall.
Recording our new Album
On the hottest weekend of the year so far, the band were found in the recording studio with the fabulous team from World of Sound.
On the hottest weekend of the year so far, the band were found in the recording studio with the fabulous team from World of Sound.
We recorded 12 pieces published by Studio Music across the 2 days, including solos played by Principal Euphonium Harry Stubbs and Principal Horn Linda Purdy, major works by Philip Sparke and William Himes, and new works from the pens of Rob Wiffen and Chris Shelton.
It certainly was a warm one but we hope you like the results when it’s released in the autumn.
A magical evening of music at St Peter’s church, Brooke
A Magical Evening of Music with the East of England Coop Band at St Peter’s Church, Brooke
St Peter’s Church in Brooke was filled to capacity on Saturday evening as the East of England Coop Band delighted audiences with a vibrant and varied programme of music.
Under the expert direction of conductor Mark Ager, the band performed a carefully curated selection of pieces, offering a taste of their upcoming Studio Music publications recording alongside beloved classics and exciting new works.
The evening featured two standout solo performances. Horn player Linda Purdy captivated the audience with a stylish rendition of Arabesque by Darrol Barry, while euphonium soloist Harry Stubbs delivered a moving interpretation of When You Believe, arranged by Richard Phillips.
The band also premiered several new works to great acclaim, including Gypsy Dance by Rob Wiffen — a clear crowd favourite — and Scaff, arranged by Alastair Wheeler, which provided a rousing encore to close the concert.
A highlight of the night was a special collaboration with St Peter’s resident organist, Brian Orland. The audience was treated to a powerful joint performance of the finale from Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony and Bach’s Toccata, arranged by Ray Farr, which showcased the majestic blend of brass and organ.
The band was met with an enthusiastic reception from an appreciative full house. “It was a joy to perform for such a wonderful audience,” said the band following the concert. “Thank you to everyone who joined us and supported the evening.”
