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Warsash Band spreads Christmas cheer

Monday 24 December 2018

Crowds packed Warsash Seafront on 23rd December for the annual community carols, accompanied by the Warsash Band.

The festive singalong has quickly established itself as a major event in the Warsash calendar. This year, hundreds of people risked the threatening weather to take part and sing their favourite carols together. The event raised over £1200 for local charities Locks Heath Communicare Association and the Red Lipstick Foundation.

For the Warsash Band, it was the end of another successful festive season. The previous week, the band had performed its Christmas concert in the Victory Hall to great acclaim. As usual, the audience enjoyed a wide variety of music in the first half before settling into full Christmas spirit in the second half. A particular highlight for many this year was a poignant and moving performance of Mountain Thyme, a beautiful folk-based composition, in memory of band member Bob Hemming. As well as having played in the band for over three decades, Bob was well known and loved around the community. His music and his humour will both be sorely missed.

The concerts saw the first use of an extended stage, made possible by a £350 donation from the band to the Victory Hall. The band has been steadily growing in size over the last few years, and was struggling to fit on the existing staging. The new extensions allow more flexibility in the layout of the band, which should hopefully improve the sound the audience experiences.

Band chair Anne Saxton said:

"We'd like to thank for Victory Hall for helping out with the extra staging, as well as all the work they do for every concert. We had a really successful Christmas season this year, and the improved layout at our Christmas concerts definitely contributed to that. We were delighted to be able to help with the cost of the staging, which we hope will be well used by other groups as well."