Band 'thrilled' to be crowned national champions

A brass band from Gloucestershire has won an award at a national competition.

Flowers Band, conducted by Paul Holland, had been up against 20 groups in the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain, held on 5 October at the Royal Albert Hall.

It is the first time that a band from the west of England has won the national finals and also represents the Gloucester band's first ever major title win.

Dan Thomas, the band's solo euphonium player, received the award for the most outstanding player.

Mr Holland said: "I am absolutely thrilled - this achievement is a culmination of 15 years of us working together with consistent improvement, desire and strong management that has enabled us to reach the pinnacle of our brass band movement."

Manager, Gregor Spence, speaking to BBC Gloucestershire, said it was "a truly historic victory" for Flowers Band.

"We thought it was a really good performance on the day and the audience's reaction was electric with a standing ovation; we were over the moon."

Flowers Band has 30 musicians who rehearse twice a week in Gloucester.

"We do it for the pure love of music and aside from that we're all a brilliant group of friends as well; we love spending time together," said Mr Spence.

Last month, Flowers Band came second in the 2024 British Open, securing members the chance to compete in Europe.

"Going forward nothing changes, the hard work continues and we look forward to many more magical performances on the concert and contest stage, especially as we look ahead to our historic appearance at the 2026 European Championships,” added Mr Holland.

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