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Latest News
AGM
The band's AGM was held on Monday 2nd December. Shaun Forbes has been formally elected as Pipe Major. Jim White takes over as Drum Sergeant. Dick Camp takes over as Chairman. Jim Watson stays on as Treasurer, Mick Barnard stays on as Secretary and Andy Muir remains QuarterMaster. Congratulations to those elected, especially to our new Pipe Major.
Andrew Gallagher has resigned from the band, both as Chairman and member. He says he will still keep an interest in the band, but he is unable to continue with the commitment required. Our thanks go to Andy for his work as Chairman, and for all the enthusiasm he has injected into the band's life.
Thanks also go to Euan McKeeve, for all his efforts with our drum corps. Euan remains in our drum corps, and has offerred to stand in as lead tip if required.
Remembrance Sunday
Thanks to everyone who turned out for the Remembrance Sunday parade.
Cowal
Following the Cowal competition, there will be no band practice on Monday 2nd September.
Drumming Dartford
A good performance from Dartford's Drump Corps saw them win the Grade 4 drumming. The performance was spoiled slightly with a near mortal blow of bad luck, with a piper's mouth-piece cracking mid performance! Credit does go to the piper, who doggedly completed the performance despite blowing through a hole the eye of a needle! The band, and pipe corps, came in with second place, which was rather pleasing considering. Dartford were asked to play for the Drum Major competition (2nd year running), coupled with 2 massed bands and a march "down the road". A long day!
Well done to all concered, and Cowal is next on the agenda!
Greenwich Park
On Sunday 7th July, the band will be performing at various locations around Greenwich Park. the band will be meeting at the Observatory at 11am, so keep an ear out for us if you're in the area!
Major Changes
Pipe Major of the band for the last 3 years, and Pipe Sergeant beforehand, Gordon Mellay moves home to Inverness. His departure is a big loss for the band, although we are delighted that he will remain registered with us and compete at The Cowal Gathering at the end of August.
Gordon's 3 years in charge has seen the band go from strength to strength, and both Gordon and the band have learned a lot. Taking a trophy from the last 2 Major competitions the band has entered shows that Gordon is leaving the band on a high, and going in the right direction. The band has won 25 trophies over this time under his direction, with a further 3 in his absence. We are very grateful to Gordon for his effort, dedication and leadership, and we wish him all the best in Inverness. We look forward to catching up with you at the end of August!
We are delighted to announce that Shaun Forbes has agreed to take the role of Acting Pipe Major, in Gordon's absence, until the AGM in September. Shaun has already taken the band to a resounding 1st place at Banbury and a 2nd at Knebworth, and is clearly coping admirably with the pressure! Keep up the good work there, the band is fully behind you. A new era at Dartford is ahead of us.
The band has been intending to compete at both The World Championships and The Cowal Gathering in August. The trip to The Worlds, however, has been cancelled this year. Dartford will, however, be turning out a strong band for The Cowal Gathering, where we hope to better our 7th place from last season.
Knebworth
The first competition to be held at Knebworth House unfortunately saw Dartford turn out their worst performance of the year. However, when you consider that the band still achieved 2nd place, this only puts into perspective how good a season the band is having at present. There are a few weeks until the next competition in Ashbourne, and the band will be working on returning to winning form.
Banbury Win
Dartford and District take another win, this time at the Banbury competition, under Acting Pipe Major Shaun Forbes. The drum corps also took first place, so congratulations all round. Hats off to Shaun, as this was his first time taking the band into competition and deserves tremendous credit for turning out such a good performance. With this performance, we are now looking forward to the new competition at Knebworth, near Luton.
All England Championships
News reaches us from the London & SE England branch of the RSPBA, that this year's All England Championships will be held in Houghton-Le-Spring on Saturday 5th October. The band has not yet decided if it will be attending - stay tuned for an announcement nearer the time.
Cooking in Colchester
A hot day on June 2nd saw Dartford put solid performances out in both Grade 4 and Grade 3 competitions. The sharp contrast in the weather from our previous competition, a fortnight previously, ensured Gordon had his work cut out to keep the band nicely tuned. Winning Grade 4 and getting 2nd place in Grade 3 - beating all the English Grade 3 bands present - shows the success he had! Callum Cameron, our up and rising star, won the junior chanter competition for the second year running. Keep up the good work Callum! Shaun Forbes had a remarkable 12 out of 10 for tone in the solo competition! Congratulations to everyone involved once again! Roll on Banbury.
Scottish Success!
The outdoor competition season started for Dartford with a success at the Scottish Championships in Dumbarton, on May 18th. A late draw meant the band was competing at 3:35 in the afternoon, just as the rain eventually stopped! The band turned out a pretty solid performance to get 5th place, and win the band's first championship points. This continues the band's run of winning a trophy at every competition since the start of last year, now including 2 Major Championships.
Everyone in the band is delighted at the result - the Raasay Shield makes a fine addition to the trophy cabinet! The focus now shifts to the local branch outdoor competitions, with the first event happening at Colchester on 2nd June.
London & SE England Mini Bands
Some good performances, though a little below par, from Dartford saw them lift 2nd place in Grade 4, and a 3rd in Grade 3 at the London Branch Mini Band contest. However, this is still a slight improvement on last year, and we are now looking forward to the Scottish Championships - the first outdoor competition for the band - on 18th May. We are also looking forward to the subsequent outdoor competitions in England! Stay tuned...
Special congratulations go to Callum Cameron, winning his 2nd chanter competition of the year! Keep up the good work, and we hope to see you out with the band soon!
Corby Competition Cancelled
News reaches us that the competition for Corby on July 13th has been cancelled.
Dartford: 1 - 2...3!
Last season at the quartets was always going to be a hard act to follow, with trophies for 1st and 3rd places in Grade 4.
The 2002 season starts with a very successful day at the RSPBA London Branch quartets! Some outstanding performances (though we say it ourselves!) secured 1st and 2nd places in Grade 4, and a 3rd place in Grade 3. There were further solo successes on the day, with prizes for 3 pipers from the band.
A big thanks and congratulations to everyone in the band. Lets see what damage we can do at our next competition - the mini bands in April!
Quartets - February 24th.
Our first competition of the season is almost upon us, so it's all hands to the pumps for a Saturday practice on February 23rd, starting midday. The draw for the competition will be coming soon - we hope!
BattleField Band in London
News reaches us that the well known BattleField Band are playing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, London on Monday 4th March. Details are available here.
Top Grade Tuition!
Terry Tully, Pipe Major of the World famous Grade 1 "St. Laurence O' Toole's St. Joseph's" Pipe Band, returned to Dartford for a 2 day seminar on the 19th and 20th January 2002, along with his lead tip, Stephen Creighton. Just like last year this was an awesome weekend for the band, and again the time went by all too quickly.
Christmas Break
A Merry Christmas to all band members, clients, suppliers and competitors!
The band's next practice will be on Monday 7th January.
Update - Ceilidh - 18th January 2002
Probably the best ceilidh in the South East of England - set this Friday night aside now! Taking place in Dartford, Kent, the Dartford & District Ceilidh is a night set aside to Scottish merriment!
* Live, 5 piece, ceilidh band
* Reigning All England Champion Pipe Band
* Food included
* Special guest recital
Tickets are now available (£8.50 each). Email (ceilidh@ddpb.co.uk) for further details or ticket reservations.
AGM
Following the Remembrance Day Parade in Dartford, the band held their AGM. It is our intention to take part in
3
of the
5
major competitions next season - The
Scottish
Championships, The
World
Championship and
Cowal
.
Band practices on Friday evenings have been moved to Thursday evenings instead, for a trial period, starting on Thursday 15th November.
Photos Required
Could anyone who has a photo of the band please forward it to the webmaster (webmaster@ddpb.co.uk), or bring it along to a practice. All prints will be returned.
Cowal Gathering
View Photos!
Dartford turned out their best ever performance at the Cowal Games on the 25th August, culminating in a trophy for 7th place in Grade 4A. Everyone in the band is understandably delighted, especially as only a handful of bands from England have ever lifted a trophy at this Competition. Indeed, the result was only marred by the placing from one of the piping judges, with the other one placing us 2nd - above the World, and Cowal, Champions.
Photos will be following in due course, and we should hopefully have a video clip of the band going up the street in the morning. Stay tuned.
Corby & Ashbourne
July 14th saw the band competing at Corby. Congratulations go to the drum corps again - and especially Iain Withers leading the corps for the day - taking 1st place. Unfortunately, the tone from the pipe corps was not as good in the morning, and the band came in at 4th spot. In Grade 3, the band grabbed a 4th spot in ensemble, but it wasn't enough to get in the prize list.
July 15th: A new day, a new competiton. Build up to Grade 4 was going smoothly, with the tone beginning to come. With about 25 minutes to go, we're informed it's starting 15 minutes earlier than advertised on the web site. 15 minutes can be an eternity in the pipe band world, and we didn't get the tone we were expecting while we competed. As the day progressed, and we played in Grade 3, the Grade 4 March Past, the Drum Majors and finally the march through the town, the sound got better and better. Tuning up for the Drum Majors saw us draw a large piping/drumming audience - always a good indicator. If only we could have had that tone when competing in Grade 4!
So, 3 new additions to the rather full trophy cabinet. The band has been in the prize list at every competition so far this year, with the worst placing being 4th place. We're out to do some damage at Cowal!!
All England Champions - Birmingham 2001
View Photos!
Outstanding! The All England Championships on July 1st saw Dartford march off with 5 (five) trophies. A 1st place in Grade 4 for both the All England Championship and Birmingham. 1st place for the drum corps - again, All England Champions and Birmingham. Capped off with a 2nd place for drumming/bass drum (TBC) in Grade 3.
Not only was the drumming excellent, but the pipe corps matched it. This performance had it all. The tone achieved was delightful - start and finish were spot on. One of the best performances the band has ever had. Well done everyone! A pecial mention to Shaun, who put in some dedication on the 11th hour, and also to Mick and "Deef" Gordon - who pulled a storming performance out of the hat! Not to mention the Pipe Major, Drum Sergeant and Pipe Sergeant! Well done everybody.
Now, lets go and do it again at Cowal.
Birmingham - All England Championships - Info
There will be an additional band practice on Saturday 30th June. Time expected to be 12:30, but to be confirmed.
Sunday July 1st sees the Grade 4 competition starting at 11:30am. Dartford are scheduled to be on 5th.
Directions:
Exit the M6 @ junction 5. At the roundabout turn right onto the A 452 (Chester Road) continue until you pass under the motorway. Travel
about a
quarter of a mile and at the roundabout turn right into Tangmere Drive,
then
look for Farnborough Road after about half a mile and turn right.
The exact address is The Castle Vale Sports Centre, off Farnborough
Road,
Birmingham, B35 7NL.
[Map]
Banbury 2001
Dartford keep the trophy run going at Banbury, with a 4th place in Grade 4. A remarkable performance by the drum corps - turning out 7 side drummers - saw them claim full marks for both tone and introduction, though somehow only claiming 3rd place overall. Good tone and volume from the pipe corps, coupled with good playing, surprisingly saw the band's overall place slide to 4th. Work has already started to return the pipe corps to the forefront of the competition, as witnessed earlier at Cranford. Next scheduled stop: Birmingham!
Colchester 2001 - Keep 'em Coming!
View Photos!
Colchester saw Dartford maintaining their "podium" finishes this season, with a convincing 3rd place. Pipe Major Gordon Mellay believes there is room for improvement on the day's performance, but was pleased with the volume attained in the pipe corps. The junior chanter competition saw a 1-2 for Dartford, with Callum Cameron winning. Shaun Forbes kept the band in the limelight with another solo victory.
Congratulations go to RAF Halton - nice to see them back in competition! We're already looking forward to Banbury in 2 weeks time, and hope to see them there.
All England competition
The RSPBA has confirmed (in it's Pipe Band magazine) that the All England Championships will be held on Sunday July 1st in Birmingham. Dartford will be there.
Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd April
There is a reital from Gordon Walker in Victoria on Friday night, and there will therefore not be a band practice this evening. Saturday sees a solo competition being held at the London Scottish premises, opposite Channel 4, on Horseferry Road. Sunday, of course, is the London Marathon, and the band will be playing near the drive through McDonalds in Southwark.
Mini Bands
Yet again, excellent results for the band, placing Dartford 2nd and 3rd in Grade 4. All mini bands had good tone and volume which should ensure a prosperous and successful season for us. Our thanks go out yet again to Gordon Mellay for his devotion and time. Special thanks go to Alan Jordan for his stunning solo victory which the band appreciated more than any other prize!
Pipe Sergeant
As announced at band practice on April 2nd (so it isn't an April fool!), Hector Thomson has been elevated to the dizzy heights of Pipe Sergeant. There is, however, no truth in the rumour that Hector is in charge of deportment. Thanks again to Alex "FIF" Fraser for lending his expertise to the post, and we hope the hide bag recovers soon!
Ceilidh - Provisional Date
Probably the best ceilidh in the South East of England.
Blow the dust off you diaries for June 15th - now the provisional date for Dartford's annual ceilidh! Scotch Mist - one of the leading ceilidh bands in South East England - will put you through your paces on the dance floor with the help of a caller. Dartford & District Pipe Band will also provide some of the evening's entertainment. Pipe Sergeant Hector Thomson will be MCing the evening, so be sure to bring your sense of humour!
Ceilidh's don't get better than this.
Tickets will be available shortly - book early as they go quick!
Quartets - Victory!
Dartford are here.
An outstanding performance at the first event of the year saw Dartford clinch 1st, 3rd and 5th places in Grade 4 in the quartet competition. Solo performances saw the haul increase with a convincing 1st place for Shaun Forbes in the 15-18 MSR, and a 2nd place in the chanter competition for young Callum.
But for a couple of minor slips, the honours list could have been even better, with promising performances by both quartets in the Grade 3 competition.
A delighted Pipe Major Mellay passes his congratulations on to everyone involved. He now brings his attention to the mini bands in April.
Gallery Update
Following the band's exploits with Terry Tully and on TV, the picture gallery has now been updated.
Click here to view the shots of Ant and Dec, Cat Deeley, Caprice, Mel B.... the list goes on!
Click here to see what Terry Tully was up to!
More photos to follow of Terry Tully's weekend - described as nothing short of "excellent" by Pipe Major Gordon Mellay.
SMTV Live - January 27th
A quartet from Dartford & District are chosen to appear in front of an estimated 2.2 million viewers on SMTV Live (ITV), along with Ant, Dec & Cat, and Caprice.
Terry's Weekend
No, not a box of chocolates, but Terry Tully's weekend with Dartford & District! And some weekend it was. It's difficult to know what to say about it. Everyone involved learned a lot and had an excellent time doing so. It's only a pity the time went by so quick! From pipe maintenance to tuning, Terry covered everything.
Many thanks, Terry, and good luck to your own bands for the coming season. We look forward to your next visit!
Terry Tully Seminar
The weekend of January 13th/14th 2001 sees Terry Tully, Pipe Major of the famous Grade 1 St. Lawrence O'Toole Pipe Band (Dublin, Ireland), taking a 2 day seminar with Dartford & District. Run at Dartford's practicing hall, Terry will 'take-over' the band for the weekend.
Pipe Major Gordon Mellay (Dartford & District) is looking forward to the seminar himself, and is anxious to pick up any hints and tipe that Terry has to offer:
"I'm just really looking forward to the weekend, as you never, really, stop learning with the pipes. I hope everyone in the band will be able to benefit in some way."
A report on the seminar will be published in due course.
New web address!
Following the success of the present web site, we have now obtained a much improved web address: www.ddpb.co.uk
The existing web addresses will still continue to be valid, however.
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