Christmas Trees

Christmas arrived big time for Whaley Bridge Band, with the Band flat out supporting Christmas Tree Festivities throughout the local area.
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First up was Furness Vale on Friday 25th November.  The new venue for their Tree at St John's Church was a great success, starting in the church hall with refreshments and stalls before the tree was lit up at 7pm, accompanied by the Band and junior hand bell ringers from FV primary school. Then more carols and mince pies back inside.

Whaley Bridge on Saturday, with carols round the tree in the Jodrell car park, and more afterwards in the Mechanics.  The rain during the day cleared just in time for the start of the Lantern Parade through the park, although still cool and windy.  Good thing we had our new winter Band jackets and matching hats!

It's Monday - so it must be Chinley's turn to light up their tree. A huge crowd at Squirrel Green as the lights went on.  When the children from Chinley School sang Away in a Manger, accompanied by the Band playing their most piano of pianissimos ever, the audience was mesmerised.  Magical!

The festivities then continued inside at St Mary's Church.  The School choir sang The Snowman and Winter Wonderland, and then it was over to the Band again.  Or was it?   Half the players hadn't brought their music for The Twelve Days of Christmas.  So now what? Sheila to the rescue: she had a Bass copy in her folder - how lucky's that! and it got Jane off the hook - and she gave her flugel copy to Karen and Dave to play on trombone and euphonium.  Plus a bit of busking from Laurie and we got away with it. Phew!  

Rehearsal as usual on Wednesday, then on to Buxworth on Friday to light their tree.
A rather unusual "bandstand" at Buxworth: if you look carefully, you can just make out the Band in the Wendy House on the right hand side.

And the final Christmas Trees of the Season on Sunday at Holy Trinity Festival in Whaley Bridge.
Inside this time, so Christmas jumpers instead of winter Band Jackets.
And a special guest appearance of Father Christmas, who much to everyone's surprise, gave a virtuoso performance of The Christmas Song on the trombone.  What a shame Graham didn't get to hear it - he went missing at the start of the second half of the concert, and didn't reappear until after Father Christmas had left. What bad timing!

Although this was the last of the Tree events, there's still plenty more Christmas to come for the Band, with several more performances before the Big Day.