Gresley Colliery Band Header

| About Us |

We are...

A hard working, ambitious Championship Section brass band based in the very heart of the Midlands. We provide entertaining concerts both in our local community and around the country.

Read the Band's constitution here.

We rely entirely on income from concerts, donations, fund raising, and the enthusiasm of our members. We are managed by a committee of elected members chosen at an Annual General Meeting.

The band also competes at both regional and national level, and following a series of impressive 1st section results - including a win in 2007 and 3rd place in 2009 - the band was promoted to the Championship Section for 2010. This is the first time the band has competed at this level in its 150 year history, and a solid result against the very best bands in the Midlands region in March of this year ensured our continuation in the Championship Section for 2011.

4 Barsrest, the online Brass Band magazine, said of our 2007 winning performance...

" Eventual victory went to Gresley Colliery Band. Playing off the final number 18 draw, the band produced a performance which had so much to admire in it - certainly down to the picture which the band's MD Richard Grantham was able to create.

This was a performance that saw the band get better and better as it went along. Although the horn line was somewhat overshadowed during the piece's telling opening bars, and there were a couple of uncertainties in some solo lines, the band coped with the piece's challenges admirably, producing a full, balanced sound and featuring one of the best cornet/euphonium sextuplet sections of the day.

Despite the aforementioned uncertainties, Gresley's soloists acquitted themselves extremely well, adding to the overall quality of the performance. Everything was shaped musically by the conductor, and the work moved along nicely allowing the listener to simply sit back and, well, listen. The band can be well pleased with their efforts here, and will undoubtedly represent the Midlands with distinction in Harrogate." (4barsrest - full article here).
Celebrating over 150 years of Gresley Colliery Band
Gresley Colliery Band is a Championship Section brass band based in South Derbyshire in the small village of Church Gresley. The origins of the band are unclear although it is believed to have been formed from mineworkers around 1850. The first recorded mention of the band was in 1857 in the Burton Weekly News where the band was reported to have played at the Newhall Horticultural Exhibition. Since then the band has undergone several name changes including:- Gresley Colliery Band, Gresley Colliery Silver Prize Band, Gresley Ambulance Band, Church Gresley Colliery Band (1941), South Derbyshire Miners' Welfare Band (1968 to 1980s), Gresley Old Hall Brass Band (to 2006); then following the AGM of 2006 it was decided to change the name back to its original Gresley Colliery Band. This was felt to be a suitable tribute to the band's mining roots and was the inspiration for our 2006 CD release, 'Heritage'. Vintage
Since the 1970's Gresley Colliery Band has enjoyed considerable competition success having been Regional Champions and National Finalists many times and ultimately achieving promotion to the Championship Section for 2010.Gresley also boasts a thriving Youth Band which, under the musical direction of senior band Eb bass player Pete Hylton, perform regularly both with the senior band and independantly and have recently competed for the first time at the Butlins Mineworkers Brass Band competition in Skegness. The band prides itself on taking players of all abilities and in many cases can offer informal tuition outside of normal rehearsal time. So, if you know of anyone who wishes to learn to play a brass instrument or is already playing and looking for a new challenge, please get in touch via the contact page.
Read the Band's constitution here.

Guestbook | Website © 2010 - 2012, Gresley Colliery Band - Gresley Old Hall, Gresley Wood Road, Church Gresley, Derbyshire, DE11 9QW