The remarkable commitment and musical excellence of Campbeltown Brass from the west of Scotland has seen them claim the 4BR Lower Section Band of the Year accolade.
We had an idea that this may a close battle and we weren t wrong.
In the end it was Foden s that claimed the Band of the Year accolade for a second time deserved recognition for their outstanding work in being a beacon of pro-activity, innovation and ambition.
The past year had already seen them secure a fifth consecutive North West Regional title, whilst they also provided the audience at the RNCM Brass Band Festival with a memorable concert performance.
However it is their outward looking desire to explore new artistic boundaries (including their online competitions), honour their heritage as well as develop existing educational initiatives that fuels their ambitions away from the contest stage.
2020 Winner: Tewit Silver Band
In what was a very close run battle for the honours it was the outstanding Tewit Silver Band from the North of England that claimed the award after building on their recent development under the baton of Martin Hall.
2020 saw them add a second consecutive Butlins Mineworkers Championship title in Skegness and followed that up with another victory at the North of England Regional Championships in Durham both in the Third Section.
Covid-19 may have stopped their contesting progress (they have now won eight contests in a row) but they continued to keep active during lockdown too. They gained three first choice preferences from the panel, plus five other podium nominations.
2020 Winner: Philip Harper
A clear winner in the Conductor of the Year category and one that is fast becoming the hegemony of Philip of Cory Band. This is his fifth win in eight years.
Only Covid-19 perhaps stopped him adding even more success to his already weighty contesting CV, but it was his ability to turn his hand to other skills away from the conducting rostrum this year that also maintained his musical profile.
He has been the driving force behind Cory s impressive on-line presence since the lockdown banding period began from the first of the social media performances to their online championships with more to come