Carrbrook Village Whit Friday Band Contest

	History of the Contest
	Carrbrook Quickstep Contest
	Results and Photographs

History of the Contest

Brass bands have been an established form of music-making in Britain for well over 100 years and, although there has been little attempt to document its colourful and rich history, Tameside is one of the strongholds of the brass band tradition with successful bands such as Carrbrook Brass Band.

On the 6th June 1884, three unconnected events in Uppermill, Stalybridge, and Mossley were held in the Pennines that inadvertently launched an internationally renowned and unique brass band occasion - the Annual Whit Friday Band Contests.

Each Whit Friday, local churches or chapels employed bands to lead traditional processions through the streets and the contests were a finale to this local celebration.

In the 1800s, people stirred around 4.00 am to prepare for the day. Licensing laws did not exist, so the doors of pubs and coffee shops opened at 5.00 am and the day began. Pies were ordered days before Whit Friday as there was no time for cooking!

Now, every year, the Whit Friday contests, firmly placed in the brass band calendar, attracts thousands of people, whether musicians or spectators, to listen to brass band music of the highest standard. The bands' discipline, stamina, and organisational skills are tested to the limit.

Each of the contests on the Whit Friday circuit is organised by a dedicated committee of brass band enthusiasts, they organise their own contest prizes.

Whit Friday is always the eighth Friday following Good Friday, and is the Friday following Whit (or white) Sunday so called because of the white clothes people wore for the many baptisms that used to occur on Whit Sunday.

Whit Friday was the "Scholars' Walk", or the Church's Annual Day when the girls would have a new dress and the boys would have new trousers and neighbours, friends and relatives would give a penny for their new clothes.

A Procession of Witness with the church officers, vicar, children carrying baskets of flowers or ribbons attached to the banners, the cross, and the band would walk on a tour round the locality.

The Whitsuntide walk has now almost gone but the popularity of the band contest increases.

Carrbrook Whit Friday Quickstep Contest

The Carrbrook Contest starts at 4.30pm and the last booking in for bands is 10.30pm.

On arrival the bands book in with the Contest Steward and then prepare to march down Carr Rise. The march and their presentation is judged for deportment and as they march, playing one of their two marches, they are preceded by a board carrier, showing the name of the band, until they turn off into Castle Clough car park.

An unmarked copy of the published march is then handed to the ring steward as the band enters the ring and then their well-rehearsed show-piece march is played through. Normally, no more than 25 players in each band may play the contest piece, plus the conductor.

Each performance is scored 'blind' by the adjudicator, hidden in the adjacent caravan. The adjudicator for the event is Mr J Grinnell.

The contest is organised by local volunteers. All the running costs and prize money are raised by local donations and through fund-raising events.

The First Milbrook Scout Group serve refreshments and St John Ambulance are in attendance.

After serving on the Carrbrook Whit Friday Band Committee for 20 years Gordon Coxon - Chair, Nola Barber - Secretary, Pat Coxon - Treasurer have now retired and a new committee has been formed.

The contest offers ten prizes including the best band, best youth band, first band to play and deportment.

The Carrbrook Best Local Band prize is for bands within a 5 mile radius of Carrbrook.

Results and Photographs !
2006	2005	2004	2003	2002

2006 The 25th anniversary year of the Whit Friday contest at Carrbrook Increased Prize Money was on offer The total prize money on offer was £2,020

1st Prize	£1,000 + Carrbrook Club Trophy	Frekleton
2nd Prize	£300 + Carrbrook Village Shield	Rothwell Temperance
2nd Section	£200 + Carrbrook Bowling Club Trophy	Silk Brass
3rd Section	£150 + Gordon Coxon Trophy	Valley Brass
4th Section	£100 + Pat Coxon Trophy	Innovative Skelmenthorpe Band B
Best Local	£60 + Barrie Travis Trophy	Ashton-under-Lyne
1st Youth	£100 + Carrbrook Electrical Shield	Mossley Hollins
1st Band to Play	£20	Mossley Hollins
Deportment	£50 + Val Hallsworth Trophy	Cheshire Constabulary
The total prize money on offer for 2005 was £1,395.00

2005 For the 2005 Carrbrook Contest Increased Prize Money was on offer and A total of 47 bands played at the contest.

1st Prize	£600 + Carrbrook Club Trophy	Lindley Played Knight Templar
2nd Prize	£300 + Carrbrook Village Shield	Ashton-under-Lyne Played Ravenswood
2nd Section	£150 + Carrbrook Bowling Club Trophy	Carlton Brass Played The Contestor
3rd Section	£100 + Gordon Coxon Trophy	Bakewell Silver Played Sherwood Lodge
4th Section	£75 + Pat Coxon Trophy	St John's Castle Played Knight Templar
Best Local	£60 + Barrie Travis Trophy	Ashton-under-Lyne Played Ravenswood
1st Youth	£40 + Carrbrook Electrical Shield	Mossley Hollins Played Arnhem
2nd Youth	£20 + Nola Barber Trophy	Boarshurst Youth Played Death or Glory
1st Band to Play	£20	Mossley Hollins Played Arnhem
Deportment	£30 + Val Hallsworth Trophy	Cheshire Constabulary Played Castell Caerffili
The total prize money on offer for 2005 was £1,395.00

2004 A total of 30 bands played at the 2004 Carrbrook Contest.

1st Prize £500 + Carrbrook Club Trophy	Glossop Old Band played O.R.B.
2nd Prize £200 + Carrbrook Village Shield	Stalybridge played Mephistopheles
3rd Prize £100 + Carrbrook Bowling Club Trophy	Leyland Band played Knight Templar
3rd Section £100 + Gordon Coxon Trophy	Timperley Band played O. R. B.
4th Section £75 + Trevor Hulton Trophy	Linthwaite Band played Senator
Best Local £60 + Barrie Travis Trophy	Stalybridge played Mephistopheles
1st Youth £40 + Carrbrook Electrical Shield	Mossley Hollins School Band played The Middy
2nd Youth £20 + Thomas Richie Shield	Chorley Silver Youth played The Howitzer
1st Band to Play £10	Mossley Hollins School Band
Deportment £30 + Val Hallsworth Trophy	Mossley Hollins School Band
Youth Bands
This year a donation of £250 was given by the Stalybridge North Ward Councillors, Bernard Walsh, Kevin Welsh and Frank Robinson specifically to encourage Youth Bands. The committee decided that these funds would be shared amongst all the youth bands that attended the Carrbrook contest. This year only 2 youth bands attended the Carrbrook contest and so the £250 was split equally between Mossley Hollins School Band and Chorley Silver Youth. This makes the total prize money awarded to
Mossley Hollins School Band	£205
(1st band £10 + 1st Youth Band £40 + Deportment £30 + £125 Councllr Donation)
Chorley Silver Youth	£145
(2nd Youth Band £20 + £125 Local Councillor Donation)
Well done both youth bands!

2003 A total of 38 bands played at the 2003 Carrbrook Contest. View the photographs by clicking on the name of the band.
1st Prize £500 + Carrbrook Club Trophy	Leyland Band played Wizard
2nd Prize £200 + Carrbrook Village Shield	Faireys played Knight Templar
3rd Prize £100 + Carrbrook Bowling Club Trophy	Ashton-under-Lyne Band played Knight Templar
3rd Section £100 + Gordon Coxon Trophy	Hebden Bridge played O R B
4th Section £75 + Trevor Hulton Trophy	Carrbrook Brass Band played The President
Best Local £60 + Barrie Travis Trophy	Ashton-under-Lyne Band played Knight Templar
1st Youth £40 + Carrbrook Electrical Shield	Mossley Hollins Band played The Pathfinder
2nd Youth £20 + Thomas Richie Shield	Wardle High Year 10 played Joy of Youth
1st Band to Play £10	Mossley Hollins
Deportment £30 + Val Hallsworth Trophy	Denton Brass played Star Lake
Very Important People !
Mayor Councillor Margaret Downs	Tom Pendry MP Margaret Oldham Roy Oldham Leader of the Council
Drumming Along !
Whiston Brass Band played Westward Ho!	The Cheshire Constabulary played Beaumont
Nottingham Alliance played Ravenswood	Hunter Healey played Bramwyn
Colourful and Spectacular Displays!
Valley Brass (Haydock) played Viva Birkenshaw	Dalton Town Band played Punchinello

2002 A total of 47 bands played at the 2002 Carrbrook Contest. View the photographs by clicking on the name of the band.
1st Prize £500 + Carrbrook Club Trophy	Leyland Band played Wizard
2nd Prize £200 + Carrbrook Village Shield	C.W.S. Glasgow played Mephistopheles
3rd Prize £100 + Carrbrook Bowling Club Trophy	Fodens Band played The President
3rd Section £100 + Gordon Coxon Trophy	Silk Brass played The Contestor
4th Section £75 + Trevor Hulton Trophy	Timperley Band played Ravenswood
Best Local £60 + Barrie Travis Trophy	Ashton-under-Lyne Band played Knight Templar
1st Youth £40 + Carrbrook Electrical by	Haydock Youth Band played Viva Birkenshaw
2nd Youth £20 + Thomas Richie Shield	Mossley Hollins played Arnhem
1st Band to Play £10	Mossley Hollins
Deportment £30 + Val Hallsworth Trophy	Cheshire Constabulary played Castell Coch
All The Youth Bands !
Wardle High School Year 10 played Star Lake	Wardle High School, Rochdale played The Elephant
Graduated Brass, Rotherham pplayed Death or Glory	Chorley Silver Youth played Colonel Bogey
Wirral School Brass Band played Conqueror	Haydock Youth Band played Viva Birkenshaw
Very Interesting !
Carrbrook Band on home ground played Viva Pettee
Chauffeurs brought the Mayor of Tameside to the contest!
Visitors from Afar !
"Phred" and 4 colleagues from Aukland New Zealand played with Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Dungannon Silver Band are from Northern Ireland and played Chieftan
Friends Old and New !
Dick played The Cossack with Hunter Healey Band after enjoying a pint of the best in the Buckton Vale Club!
Eddie marching with Skelmersdale Prize Band who went on to play Black Knight