North East Midlands Brass Band Association

Welcome to the web site of the North East Midlands Brass Band Association.

Latest News

  • Long Service Awards

    NEMBBA was delighted to award the following long service awards at our contest yesterday (27th September 2026):

    50 Years

    David Harrold (The Wigston Band)
    Ruth Hopewell (The Wigston Band)
    Colin Jones (The Wigston Band)

    40 Years

    Rachel Cherry (The Wigston Band)
    Karen Edwards (The Wigston Band)
    Paul Edwards (The Wigston Band)
    Alison Harding (The Wigston Band)
    Peter Harding (The Wigston Band)

    25 Years

    Abigail Harding (The Wigston Band)
    Tim Rupp (The Wigston Band)

    Congratulations and thank you to all the above players for their long service to our brass band movement.

  • Entertainment Contest 2026 Results
    1. Blidworth Welfare Band (Colum O’Shea)
    2. Shirland Welfare Band (Lynden Cooper)
    3. Strata Brass (David Holling)
    4. Dronfield Band (Adrian Wood)
    5. Ireland Colliery Chesterfield Band (Sarah Fellowes)
    6. The Wigston Band (Colin Jones)
    7. Long Eaton Silver Prize Band (James Dennis)
    8. Stape Silver Band (Robin Rutter)
    9. Long Eaton Silver Prize Training Band (Sharon Stansfield)

    Best Championship Section Band: Blidworth Welfare Band
    Best First Section Band: Shirland Welfare Band
    Best Second Section Band: Strata Brass
    Best Third Section Band: Dronfield Band
    Best Fourth Section Band: Stape Silver Band
    Best Training Band: Long Eaton Silver Prize Training Band

    Most Entertaining Band: Dronfield Band

    Best Soloist: Kieron Brice (Soprano Cornet, Shirland Welfare Band)

    Best Arrangement by a Conductor or Player:
    A Cornish Pastiche (David Holling, Strata Brass).

  • Entertainment Contest Thanks

    A big thank you to everybody who worked so hard to make this weekend’s contest a success.

    Our adjudicator, Leigh Baker.

    Kevin Holdgate for organising the contest.

    Michael Allcock for compering the contest.

    Emma Palmer, who impeccably managed the movement of bands between their changing room, and the contest room throughout the weekend.

    Jo Priestley and Tina Lewis for running the programme desk.

    Jo Priestley for organising all the trophies.

    Our president, Lynden Cooper, for presenting the long service awards and holding the minutes silence in memory of our last vice-president, Brian Draper.

    John Randle, who donated the trophies from his Brass on the Grass contest.

    The Ratby Co-Operative Band Organisation for the hire of the percussion and Steve Plant who transported it to and from the venue.

    The Long Eaton Silver Prize Band who provided the music stands for the contest.

    Our venue, The Whitworth, for hosting the contest and their staff for being so helpful.

    Stape Silver Band, who agreed to play early to accommodate another band, one of whose players was running late due to a car breakdown.

    All our bands, without whom we would not have had a contest, and all of you who came to support the bands.

  • Final Information for the Entertainment Contest

    I have now issued the final information to bands competing in our contest on Sunday 27th September. Copies of all the contest documentation (apart from the draw) are on our documents page.

  • Percussion Provided For Our Entertainment Contest

    A list of the percussion we will be providing for our entertainment contest has been emailed to all the band secretaries. A copy may be found on our documents page.

  • Draw And Estimated Timings For Our Entertainment Contest

    I have now issued the draw and estimated timings to all the bands who have entered our entertainment contest on Sunday 27th September at The Whitworth, Darley Dale. If your band does not receive my email, please let me know and I will resend it. The estimated timings for the day are first band 11:00 a.m., last band 3:30 p.m., and results at around 4:00 p.m.

  • Entries Closed For Our November Contest

    We have now reached capacity for our open own-choice test piece contest, which is being held on Sunday 15th November 2026 at Post Mill Centre, Market Street, South Normanton DE55 2EJ and I need to close the contest to further entries. My apologies to those bands who are missing out, particularly to those bands who have supported our autumn contest in recent years. If any bands are still interested in entering, please email me (admin@nembba.org.uk) and I will let you know if any bands withdraw.

  • Brian Draper

    NEMBBA is saddened to learn of the death of our vice-chair and vice-president Brian Draper. Brian had served on the NEMBBA committee for many years, and stewarded at all our contests. Brian also served for a number of years on the Midlands Regional Committee.

    Brian was mainly associated with the Bestwood Black Diamonds Band, where he played principal euphonium for them in the championship section for many years before later taking over as conductor. In subsequent years, he conducted many of our North East Midlands bands.

    As a music teacher, Brian taught many pupils to play brass instruments (both in the Midlands and in Thailand), and was also a prolific arranger of music for brass bands.

    In recent years, Brian had taken up bass trombone which he played with Kirkby Colliery Welfare (whom he also later conducted) and the NEMBBA Daytime Band, of which he was an enthusiastic supporter.

    We send our condolences to his daughter Claire.

  • Entries Now Open For Our Entertainment Contest

    Entries are now open for NEMBBA’s entertainment contest, which is being held on Sunday 27th September 2026 at The Whitworth, for all bands, including unregistered bands. Band are invited to perform a 20 minute entertainment programme, with prizes for the first three bands and the highest placed band in each section.

    If the weather remains fine, the contest will be held outdoors in the venue’s gardens, otherwise we will use the venue’s ballroom (where we have previously held our own-choice test piece contest).

    Copies of the entry form and the rules are on our documents page. If your band wishes to enter, please complete the entry form, and post or email it to Robert Stansfield (the details are on the form). The receipt of all entries will be acknowledged by email.

    The closing date for entries is 1st September 2026 unless all the contest places are taken beforehand.

    If you require any further information before entering, please email Robert Stansfield for further details.

  • Dates Set for our Annual Area Test Piece Contest

    We are running our annual area test piece contest next year on Saturday 27th February and Sunday 28th February, at our usual venue, The Post Mill Centre in South Normanton.

    As this year, the Third and Second Sections will play on the Saturday and the Fourth, First and Championship Sections will play on the Sunday.

    The sections for training and unregistered bands to perform a 20 minute entertainment programme will also be on the Sunday.

    Entry forms will be available on our website after our A.G.M. in October.