My great love

Many of you who know me will know that my great love is music. I play the horn and play in the band of the village where I grew up, Newbiggin by the Sea in Northumberland. We're playing in the National Finals in Cheltenham on Saturday 17th September. The fact it is Newbiggin band makes it extra special for me. Newbiggin is where I grew up, where many of my family still live, it holds many special memories, lifelong friends. Like most Newbiggin families we go back generations, and we're all related to everyone else. Newbiggin is one big, dysfunctional family. We argue, we fight, but we all love each other really. At their best the people make you proud. Moments like this are important for a community. They remind us of what unites, of our common heritage. There is no better way to unite than music, and no better music than brass bands. I've been involved in some amazing performances in music. None more so than a brass project in the summer of 2016 with Lucy Pankhurst. It was a collaborative project called 'Reflection Connection' with all the South-East Northumberland brass bands. It culminated in performances at the Miner's Picnic and the Sage, the latter in support of the virtuoso ensemble Mnozil Brass. It was a highlight of my musical career to date, and playing the Sage was a personal ambition. As part of the project a few of us put together digital stories with a local filmaker Alex Henry. Alex runs Curiosity Creative who do lots of visual arts activities. My story is about how I got into brass music and what it means to me. The video is available online by clicking here. I really enjoyed the experience putting together and telling my short story. I hope you enjoy it.