Carols at the Six Bells, Thursday 19th December 2019
Well Rev. Caroline, you managed to have a word and stop the rain at exactly 7 pm, so that our carol evening could go ahead! Also, a big thank you to Nikki, her team and all the customers at the pub, who helped us to raise a fabulous £150.00 (and 5 Canadian cents!). This will all be shared between our 3 great charities:
Hope to see lots of you in St Helen's Church, Benson at 5 pm next Tuesday for a final carolling extravaganza! Grown ups are also welcome! |
The Crowmarsh Music Club Sunday December 15th 2019
The band spent a wonderful afternoon playing Christmas Carols for The Crowmarsh Music Club yesterday. As you can see from this small selection of pictures, it wasn't just the children who were excited and really getting into the true magic of Christmas! Huge thanks must go to the children, our hosts and, who else but.......Father Christmas! Ho ho ho! |
Sotwell Hill House, Tuesday 10th December 2019
Here we are entertaining the residents at Sotwell Hill House again. It seems impossible that a year has passed since we were last here! Anyway, lots of carols, lots of fun, lots of singing...and lots of laughs..... It really does feel like the start of Christmas! |
Carols at Tescos, Didcot - Sunday, 8th December 2020
Hot on the heels of our brilliant concert yesterday, this doughty team took to their instruments for yet more carolling this morning (Sunday). A fabulous £146.00 was collected from the wonderful, generous people of Didcot, on behalf of the band's three charities. As you can see, there were rewards.......especially as Rudolph was not the only one with a red nose! |
The Roke & Benson Brass Band Christmas Concert: Saturday, 7th December 2019
Another year and another Christmas. Yes, it was The Roke & Benson Brass Band annual Christmas Concert! An appreciative audience heard a wide range of music from the world of cinema and theatre. There was the usual amazing raffle and finally, everyone sang along to their favourite carols. Our thanks must go to John Glavey who, in his own inimitable style, introduced his 30th Christmas with the band! Thanks John. |
Village children stand to attention during the ceremony
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Benson Turns Out for the Armistice Parade
On a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning, the band was once again invited to play for The Remembrance Day Service in St Helen's Church. This followed a Ceremony at the war memorial where The Exhortation was read and the Last Post was played. Following the two minutes silence and Reveille, there was a reading of the Kohima Epitaph and then a fly past by two RAF helicopters. As you can see, Natalie placed a wreath on behalf of the band. |
She'll grow into it!
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Benson Vintage Cycle Rally 7th July 2019 - At the Red Lion, Chalgrove It was the perfect day to play for a whole bunch of cyclists - both ancient and modern - at the Red Lion, Chalgrove. Many thanks to our hosts and in particular to Jan, Eve and Margaret, who collected a fantastic £131.00 for our wonderful charities this afternoon. Brilliant! |
The Six Bells, Warborough - Thursday, 20th December 2018
Another fantastic evening of caroling outside the Six Bells last night. We managed to raise an amazing £131.00 despite, or maybe because of, the early arrival of Father Christmas - who brought his own collecting elves! Well done to everyone who turned out to play in a freezing Midsomer Land. Grateful thanks must also go to Nikki at the Six Bells, her busy crew and all her generous patrons. St Helen's Church, Benson is next, on Monday Christmas Eve, to have caroling Christmas fun with the children (aged 1 to 95!) (5-6pm). |
Christmas Carols at The Donkey Sanctuary - 13th December 2018 Another lovely Christmas service and lots of fun at the Donkey Sanctuary last night. As usual, the donkey got most of the attention and here is Tracy, pictured with Charlie (Tracey is the one with four legs, of course!). Although the band always enjoys playing here, we were lucky enough to receive a £50.00, anonymous donation - which will go straight to our charity fund. So, if you're reading this, whoever you are, thank you! Thanks must also go to the Rev. Janice Chilton for conducting the service and keeping us all in order! |
WAGS - Saturday 8th September 2018
Here we are at our final engagement of the season playing for our old friends the Wallingford Allotments and Gardens Society. Fortunately, the rain held off, the teas and cakes were delicious, and all the flowers, including mum and daughter Shirley and Sharon (pictured) made a fine display! |
Morris Motors Caravan Club and Sotwell Hill House - 14th & 15th July 2018
After a lovely day in the sunshine at Holton, playing for Morris Motors Caravan Club (thank you Norms!) on Saturday, the band enjoyed another great day of strawberries and cream at our regular, Sunday summer outing - Sotwell Hill House (see photos). |
Benson Veteran Cycle Rally - The Red Lion, Chalgrove on Sunday 1st July 2018
What a great day we had at the Red Lion, Chalgrove yesterday! Glorious sunshine seemed to put everyone in a happy frame of mind (Howard?), and our little band played a varied and interesting programme to an enthusiastic audience of cyclists, dogs and local villagers, all packed into a gorgeous garden setting. Many thanks to all the staff at the pub for hosting such a lovely event....at which we managed to collect a brilliant £131.00 for our charities! Well done everyone! For anyone on Facebook, you can see this all again at: https://www.facebook.com/Roke-Benson-Brass-Band-261071677242323/?ref=bookmarks |
Wallingford Castle Grounds - Sunday 24th June 2018 On a beautiful day in the gorgeous setting of Wallingford Castle Grounds, an enthusiastic audience of over 200 people came to watch and listen to us playing our hearts out. So much did the appreciative crowd enjoy our music.....we even received a standing ovation! Next week we play for Benson's Vintage Cycle Rally at The Red Lion, Chalgrove. Check the "Where to See Us" section of this website for more details. So, why not bring a picnic, enjoy a beer/glass of wine, and listen to our music all over again! |
The annual carol service at the donkey sanctuary is always a highlight for the band. Lots of people braved the cold weather and sang at the tops of their voices, whilst a collection of donkeys and horses seemed to look down in wonder!
The Rev. Janice Chilton took charge and, as you can see, really enjoyed the carols. Yours Truly had a picture taken with the mayor and mayoress of Wallingford, Mike and Christine Kidley....... And, yes.........there was a real donkey! |
The band enjoyed a lovely evening of carolling for our friends at Sotwell Hill House Nursing home last night. This enthusiastic audience seemed to know the words to most of the songs that we played and even, on occasion, sang unaccompanied!
For those brave enough, you can even have a listen to the band by clicking on this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YoU0mvo9UJLkvZC52 Next up is the Donkey Sanctuary on Thursday - Eeeeeyore! |
Christmas got off to a great start at the Crowmarsh Music Club on Monday evening. This is always one of the most fun events in the band's calendar and it became livelier than ever when George decided to take over (pictured)! I don't think so many bells have ever been jingled for our oft repeated version of "Jingle Bells"
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Remembrance Sunday - St Helens Church, Benson 12th November 2017 On a chilly autumn morning the whole of Benson village seemed to turn out in order to pay their respects to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this great country of ours. At the war memorial, after the last post and reveille sounded, wreaths were laid and two RAF helicopters, including a Chinook (pictured), chattered overhead to mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Following the parade, the band played at its very best as we joined in with hymns and prayers to remember all those who gave their lives for us. |