Waltham St. Lawrence Silver Band

The Old Windsor Christmas Fayre, which used to be held as a street festival, was held indoors at the Memorial Hall for the first time in 2025, in view of poor weather experienced several times in recent years. The previous year it had to be cancelled altogether.

The new arrangement, with the stalls in several lines in the hall and the band on the stage, worked out well for everybody, and the band could play something more like an ordered programme of music, with a good sprinkling of traditional carols. Refreshments were available in the hall's own kitchen, which also worked well.

The band's Christmas season started on 3rd December, playing carols for residents of Waltham St Lawrence Street, ending with a few carols inside The Bell. Numbers were insufficient to make up two carolling groups this year, depriving Halls Lane and the bridge-adjacent end of Milley Road of our sweet harmonies.

As usual, the band turned out at Hurst recreation ground and played carols for the village's St Nicholas Night ceremony and switch-on of the Christmas lights on 7th December.

The traditional Carols Round the Pound event was held behind the Neville Hall on 17th December. This followed on from the conclusion of the village's Tractor Run, so an even larger crowd than usual was assembled. 

Ensembles joined the Maidenhead Rotary Club choir singing and collecting for charity outside Sainsbury's big store on 20th & 21st December. Some players went on from Sainsbury's to play a few numbers for residents of Elgar Place retirement home. Sadly our former member and long-time band secretary Steve Saunders passed away in November, but his wife Margaret wanted to keep up this communal event, which has been staged for a number of years now.

On the evening of 21st December, an ensemble, some of whom had already played twice that day as above, gathered at Bourne End URC church to play before and during its carol service.

The band took part in three Remembrance Sunday events on 9th November, marching at the head of the parade from the church to war memorials in Waltham St. Lawrence and Bray, and playing static at the war memorial in Holyport, as in past years. The Last Post was played in WSL by Martin Coaley, and in Bray and Holyport by Peter Yates. 

The band's Sunday afternoon autumn concert at Loddon Hall in Twyford was very successful. Performing before a full and appreciative audience, both WSL band and the Calcot Junior School choir played and sang very well, with several joint items in each half of the show. 

The band's pieces included a number of solos and a cornet duet: Two of the Tops, played by Gerry Townsend and Martin Coaley; Our Love is Here To Stay (Paul Chapman, cornet); Evergreen (Jane Lynn, flugel horn); and On My Own (Jane Pullen, tenor horn).

Several anniversaries were marked in the playlist: Bohemian Rhapsody (50 years); Ticket To Ride (60); and a selection of songs from The Sound of Music, celebrating 60 years since release, performed jointly by band and choir.

Several presentations were made by Musical Director Derek Holland in the course of the concert: the rather belated handing over of the Bandperson of the Year 2024 to Gerry Townsend and Player of the Year to Kit Leighton-Young; and a special gift to Richard McKay, who retired from playing earlier in the year at the age of 90 after several decades of dedicated service to the band.

The band traditionally plays the hymns for the Waltham St. Lawrence parish church Harvest Festival, and this year was no exception. One big difference, however, was the setting. Rather than in the church, the service was held in the yard of the neighbouring Home Farm. On a bright but gusty day, the event shelter was set up in advance in case of rain, but was blown across the drive before proceedings began! Without damage to anyone or anything, fortunately. Otherwise the innovation worked very well, with Fiona Penn leading the service and delivering the sermon from the elevated cage of a JCB digger as the alternative pulpit.

The band played two sets under guest conductor John Lawes during a rather wet morning at the Berkshire College of Agriculture in Burchetts Green for the REBAA ploughing match and show, which was staged there this year. Fortunately two large gazebos were available to ward off the rain. 

A small ensemble from the band once again closed the afternoon's performances on the stage by the stag on Maidenhead High Street for the Waterways Fun Day, with a 45-minute set of light classics and pop tunes.

The band presented a concert for Bank Holiday Monday on Henley Mill Meadows bandstand on 25th August. A pleasant way for the band and a sizeable audience to enjoy a warm afternoon in the riverside park. 

The band played to a fair-sized crowd in the Alexandra Gardens, Windsor, on 16th August, with a varied programme including Jurassic Park, Elizabethan Serenade and a sparkling rendering of Bugler's Holiday from a trio of solo cornets. Other solos were Catari Catari (Gerry Townsend, Soprano Cornet), My Dream (Jane Lynn, Flugel) and On My Own (Jane Pullen, Tenor Horn), and Paul Craggs on percussion turned in another star performance for St Louis Blues. 

The band played a selection of music for those attending WSL parish church "Tea on the lawn" event on a showery Sunday afternoon on 3rd June.

The band provided background music for the Grenadier Guards Association's annual garden party at a private house in Shillingford, near Wallingford. The programme in two sets included a good sprinkling of pieces to fit the VE Day anniversary theme of the party. The band were grateful to John Lawes for standing in as conductor for the day.

On a very hot Sunday afternoon, the band once again joined with the choir of Calcot Junior School to present a concert at a packed school hall. Standout items in the band's programme were solos from Jane Lynn (Flugel), with a transcription of the German pop ballad My Dream; Jane Pullen (Tenor Horn), with On My Own from Les Miserables; Gerry Townsend (Soprano Cornet), with  Catari Catari; and Alan Clancy (BBb Bass), with the opening lines of Come Follow the Band. A trio of top cornets dazzled again with their rendering of Bugler's Holiday. 

The excellent choir provided two sets on their own, and fearlessly sang two joint numbers with the band: John Rutter's Look at the World and a medley of songs from The Sound of Music. 

A seven-strong ensemble from the band provided the Marseillaise and UK national anthem preceding the junior football match at King George V playing ground near Loddon Hall, Twyford, between the Twyford Comets and a team from twin town Cuincy, in France. The band also played Match of the Day as the players ran out for their warm-up.

The band performed two sets across the afternoon at Waltham St Lawrence Summer Fete at the Cricket Club ground in Sherlock Row. Guest conductor was John Lawes. This was the first outing for the band's new summer uniform, which is dark blue polo shirt. Difficult to spot on the day, as it was characterised bythundery showers and not too warm, so fleeces were also worn.

The band's 2025 engagement season opened on 10th May with the Cox Green May Fayre near Maidenhead. Under the baton of newly (re-)appointed MD Derek Holland, the band played two sets, including several items reflecting the recent 80th anniversary of VE Day.