North East Midlands Brass Band Association

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

Latest News

  • 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.

  • Entries are now open for our Autumn Contest

    Entries are now open for NEMBBA’s open own-choice test piece contest, which is being held on Sunday 15th November 2026 at the Post Mill Centre, Market Street, South Normanton DE55 2EJ, for all sections (fourth to championship) together with sections for un-registered and training bands to play a 15-minute programme.

    For those of you who contested with us in February or at last year’s autumn contest, this contest will be run along similar lines with our aim being to run the event as flexibly as possible to enable as many bands as we can accommodate at the venue to have an enjoyable day playing music.

    Copies of the entry form and the rules are on our events 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 October 2026 unless all the contest places are taken beforehand.

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

  • Long Service Awards

    NEMBBA was delighted to award the following long service awards at our contest last weekend (21st & 22nd February 2026):

    70 Years

    Paul France (Jackfield Brass Band)
    John Neathey (Jackfield Brass Band)

    65 Years

    Glenn Pollard (Jackfield Brass Band)

    60 Years

    Andrew McCormack (Shirebrook Miners Welfare Band)

    50 Years

    Maxine Davison (Thoresby Colliery Band)
    Jon Gibbs (Audley Brass)
    Kelvin Goodwin (Audley Brass)
    Will Howarth (Rolls-Royce (Derby) Band)
    Andrew Nutting  (Oddfellows Brass)
    Kevin Short (Jackfield Brass Band)
    John Siviter (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Chris Sweeney (Rolls-Royce (Derby) Band)

    40 Years

    Chris Barker (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Ruth Cartlidge (Shirebrook Miners Welfare Band)
    Elaine Dickman (Oddfellows Brass)
    Ian Dickman (Oddfellows Brass)
    Debbie Holland (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Simon Holland (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Heather Horsley (Rolls-Royce (Derby) Band)
    Sally Julian (Oddfellows Brass)
    Dave Lucas (Rolls-Royce (Derby) Band)
    Jason Pickin (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Karen Pickin (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Dave Rutt (Carlton Brass)
    Darrin Smith (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Dr David Thomas (Newhall)
    Sally Thorburn (Shirebrook Miners Welfare Band)
    Pete Woodley (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Mike Yates (Jackfield Brass Band)

    25 Years

    Matthew Darlington (Audley Brass)
    Neil Fury (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Stephanie Graham (Carlton Brass)
    Pauline Hayes (Shirebrook Miners Welfare Band)
    Kelly Hodges (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Robert Howarth (Rolls-Royce (Derby) Band)
    Peter Jackson  (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Matt Johnson (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Daniel Keen (Audley Brass)
    Hannah Mowbray (Audley Brass)
    Matt Pearson (Jackfield Brass Band)
    Diane Short (Jackfield Brass Band)

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

  • Contest Thanks

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

    • Our adjudicators Mareika Gray (third and second sections) and Mark Walters (fourth, first and championship sections).
    • Patricia Hope for running registration.
    • A special thanks to Mike Allcock and Emma Palmer who impeccably managed the movement of bands between their changing room, the warmup room and registration throughout the weekend.
    • Our president, Lynden Cooper, and vice-president Mike Allcock for compering the weekend.
    • Our stewards and helpers: our chair, Melanie Cooper, our treasurer, Kevin Holdgate, Ian Beckett, Judith Beckett, Brian Draper, Keith Eaglesfield, Heather Hoy, Ian Peberday and Jo Priestley.
    • Newstead Brass for the loan of the percussion and Mark Davis and his team of helpers from Newstead who transported it to and from the venue and who designed the water gong for the second section.
    • The Long Eaton Silver Prize Band who provided the music stands and glockenspiel for the contest.
    • Our venue, The Post Mill Centre, for hosting the contest and their staff for being so helpful.
    • Brass Band Music (Gavin Somerset) and Durham Music Shop (Brian Yates) for bringing their trade stands and donating music vouchers to our section winners.
    • Our bands, without whom we would not have had a contest, and all of you who came to support the bands.
  • February 2026 Contest Results

    Championship Section

    1. Skelmanthorpe (Jonathan Bates)
    2. Newstead Brass (Martin Heartfield)
    3. Yorkshire Imperial (Ian McElligott)
    4. Blidworth Welfare Band (Colum O’Shea)
    5. The Staffordshire Band (Lee Woodward)

    Best euphonium: Neil Johnson (Skelmanthorpe)
    Best soprano cornet: Jack Reeves (Newstead Brass)

    First Section

    1. South Yorkshire Police Band (Leigh Baker)
    2. Horbury Victoria Band (Dean Jones)
    3. Shirland Miners Welfare (Lynden Cooper)
    4. Audley Brass (Tom Hancock)
    5. Oddfellows Brass (John Davis)
    6. Jackfield Band (Craig Stevens)
    7. Hucknall and Linby MC Brass Band (Chris Ledger-Knapp)
    8. City of Coventry Brass (Lee Woodward)

    Best tenor horn: Adrian Green (South Yorkshire Police Band)

    Second Section

    1. Leicestershire Coop Band (Ben Hewlett-Davies)
    2. Bollington (Craig Mann)
    3. Barnsley Brass (Ben Brickles)
    4. Hatfield & Askern Colliery Band (Richard Marshall)
    5. Carlton Brass (Matthew Ludford-King))
    6. Rolls Royce (Derby) Band (Adrian Lacey)
    7. Chapeltown Silver Prize Band (Gary Hallas)

    Best cornet: Joe Clarbour (Hatfield & Askern Colliery Band)

    Third Section

    1. Dronfield Band (Roland Spencer)
    2. Wakefield Metropolitan Brass Band (Michael Dodd)
    3. Shirebrook Miners Welfare Band (Chris Banks)
    4. Whitwell Brass (Rob Deakin)
    5. Maltby Miners Welfare (Terry Clifford)
    6. Long Eaton Silver Prize Band (James Dennis)
    7. Ireland Colliery Chesterfield Band (Sarah Fellowes)
    8. Rode Hall Silver Band (Ken Mackintosh)

    Best cornet: Adrian Wood (Dronfield Band)
    Best bass section: Dronfield Band

    Fourth Section

    1. Matlock Band (Chris Banks)
    2. Croft Silver Band (Henry Dunger)

    Best euphonium: Tina Lewis (Croft Silver Band)
    Youngest player: Freddie Farr (Matlock Band)

  • Revised February Contest Draw

    A band has withdrawn from each of the third and second sections: the revised draw has been emailed to all the band secretaries.

    The revised list of percussion has also been emailed to the band secretaries. A copy is available on our documents page.

  • February Contest – Provided Percussion

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

  • February Contest Draw

    Entries are now closed for our area test piece contest on the 21st/22nd February.

    The estimated timings for the weekend are:

    Saturday 21st February
    10:00 a.m. Third Section (9 bands)
    Results 1:05 p.m.

    1:40 p.m. Second Section (8 bands)
    Results 4:25 p.m.

    Sunday 22nd February
    10:15 a.m. Fourth Section (2 bands)
    Results 11:00 a.m.

    11:35 p.m. First Section (8 bands)
    Results 2:05 p.m.

    2:50 p.m. Championship Section (5 bands)
    Results 5:00 p.m.

  • Entries to the Third Section Are Now Closed

    Please note that entries to the third section on the Saturday of our February contest are now closed (each section is restricted to ten bands to ensure that we keep within the fire regulations concerning the number of people in the building at any one time). Please email Robert at admin@nembba.org.uk if your band wishes to be added to the waiting list.

    On the Saturday, we still have room for three more second section bands.

    On the Sunday, we have five spaces remaining throughout the day (unregistered, fourth, first and championship sections), subject to the maximum of ten bands in any one section.

    Entry forms may be downloaded here.

    Our adjudicators are Mareika Gray on the Saturday and Mark Walters on the Sunday.

  • NEMBBA Daytime Band