HALL OF FAME

Here's a chance to meet some of Royal Buckley Town Band's ex Players who have gone on to play with other Bands.  If you are an ex member of the band why not send a picture and a resume so that you can be included

GEORGE THACKRAY

George, one of the famous Thackray twins started playing the violin at the age of eleven at the Elfed High School, but soon realized that the brass section of the school orchestra had a lot more fun! His first band was here at the Royal Buckley Town Band; starting on second horn he soon acquired the Solo Horn chair of both the junior and senior bands. George moved to Point of Ayr under Graham Jones, who was George's former brass teacher, and in 1981 played Blitz in his debut National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall. In 1985 he went on to Foden OTS on Solo Horn for four years. In this period the Band gained titles such as "Granada Band of the Year" and "Yeovil Entertainment Champions", and was runner-up in both the National Finals and the British Open. In 1988 the Band was renamed Britannia Building Society Band.

In 1989 he worked in California for two years in the Aircraft industry, and then onto Europe. In 1991 George returned to England and so took up the invitation of Solo Horn with the famous Williams Fairey Band in Stockport. After a season with Fairey's he joined Sellers Band under Philip McCann. George enjoyed four good years at Sellers before joining the Ransome Band alongside his identical twin brother John. In 2000 George became the Band's Solo Horn and also Chairman. He now dedicates his time to playing and managing the newly named Ransome Band. Currently George works for an Aerospace sub contracting company called SPS Aerostructures Ltd as a Quality Engineer. He lives in Nottingham with his partner Margaret and newly adopted black labrador Henry.

JOHN THACKRAY

Currently John is still in the RAF and is awaiting detachment to Iraq for 4 months and hopefully still be at Waddington Lincs when he gets back, so that he can still play 1st Horn in the Ransome Band.

KEN PAIN

Kenny Pain a member of the band who joined the army as a Musician 1995

GARETH WYNNE

Gareth Wynne began playing the cornet in 1987 at the age of 6 under the tuition of his father John Wynne and also Colin Smith who was at this point in charge of the junior band.  Gareth progressed through the ranks with Royal Buckley and by the age of 17 he had attained the position of Principal Cornet.  Gareth was also for many years the Principal Cornetist of the Royal Buckley Town Junior Band and it was in this capacity that he won the best soloist award at the North Wales Championships.  Gareth also won the bands slow melody competition on numerous occasions and was a recipient of the bandsman of the year award. Early in 1998, at the age of 17, Gareth left Royal Buckley to join Northop Silver for a brief spell.

In the summer of 1998, Gareth auditioned to become a member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.  This audition was successful and he became a full member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain in 1999, completing a course under the musical direction of James Watson.  Gareth wishes to thank Andrew Jones for his help with preparing for the initial audition. 

Still in 1998, Gareth now moved to Point of Ayr.  At this point in his career, Gareth received tuition from Brian Taylor (Principal cornet of the Fairey Band for 20 years).  Gareth enjoyed many successes at ‘Point’ – some of the many highlights being – winning the Welsh Area Championship Section in 1999, representing Wales in the 2000 European Championships at the Symphony Hall Birmingham, twice representing Wales in the National Finals of Great Britain held at the Royal Albert Hall London, and representing Wales at the 2001 World Championships held in Kerkrade, Holland.

In 2002 Gareth briefly rejoined Royal Buckley before joining the BT band who are a Championship Section band based in the North West of England.  Gareth again teamed up with BT Musical Director Michael Fowles who was at the helm of Point of Ayr in their peak, and who has been a big influence on his playing.

In 2006 Gareth left the BT band in order to pursue a career as a Professional Musician in the British Army.  He passed out from 14 weeks basic soldier training in December 2006 and then entered ‘Phase 2’ training at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, Twickenham.  Upon completion of this at the end of March 2007, he was posted to his regiment, the Band of the Grenadier Guards.

Gareth has already enjoyed a tour of Australia with the Grenadier’s and has taken part in the prestigious Queen’s Birthday Parade (Trooping the Colour), as well as many other high profile engagements including his ‘bread and butter’ work of changing the guard at Buckingham Palace, St. James’s Palace and Windsor Castle.

In 2007 Gareth yet again rejoined Royal Buckley!  He remains signed with the band and hopes that from time to time contests which the band are competing in will coincide with his leave so that he can play with them.

In January 2008 Gareth married Louise and they are expecting their first child in June.

HEATHER GRIFFITHS

Heather Griffiths was a member of the Royal Buckley Town Band for around nine years, playing with both RBTB junior and senior bands, where she played solo baritone. Heather received early tuition from Glyn and Colin Smith, as well as John Wynne, Paul Walton, Graham Jones and Andrew Jones, to whom she will always be grateful. Heather has been N. Wales Air-Varie and Slow Melody Champion, winning both categories on the same day twice. She has also previously won the Buckley, Northop and Rhyl slow melody competitions. Heather came second in the Flint ‘Young Musician of the Year Competition’ in 1998 and performed in the Texaco ‘Young Musician of the Year’ competition also. Heather passed her grade eight Associated Board examination with distinction at the age of sixteen and was given a ‘Young Citizen of the Year’ award by the Buckley Town Council for her contribution to music in the town.

Whilst studying for her ‘A’ levels, Heather joined the Rhos Silver band (now known as Wrexham Brass), where she played solo baritone. Heather was a member of the band when they won the National Championships at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham in 1997, a memory she is very fond of. Heather was Solo Baritone of the National Youth Brass Band of Wales for five years, under the batons of James Watson, Dr Robert Childs and Professor Edward Gregson. Heather is currently in her fourth and final year of a BMus(Hons) degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where she is taught by the famous Euphonium soloist Steven Mead. Heather has also received tuition from Dr. Robert Childs and David Thornton.

Heather has studied the Trombone, Piano and conducting at the RNCM. Heather has played with several championship bands to date, including the Northop, Marple, BT , Dobcross Silver , Sellars , Foden and Black Dyke bands. Heather has played in the Albert Hall, Symphony Hall Birmingham, Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool and the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester. Heather has also conducted the Northop training and junior bands, which she enjoyed immensely. Last year, on a year out from college, Heather lived and worked in Northern Germany where she taught both English and Music at the local high school. During her time in Germany, Heather played with a traditional German wind orchestra and played a solo on German television. Heather enjoyed the experience so much, she intends to go back to Germany in the future. Alongside her degree at the moment Heather is also taking an ‘A’ Level in German.

More recently, Heather was the Baritone soloist at the Royal Northern College of Music’s lower brass day, which aimed at promoting the baritone as a solo instrument. Heather also played solo baritone with the RNCM’s brass band, conducted by James Gourlay at the 2005 ‘Festival of Brass’ held at the Royal Northern. Heather has also performed with the RNCM Wind Orchestra and ‘ Tuba and Euphonium choir’. Heather has been teaching brass in Flintshire on a private basis for the last five years, something that she enjoys immensely, and hopes perhaps to do in the future. Recently, Heather delivered several live musical workshops, some in Flintshire, with her group ‘Brass Attack’, who’s aim is to promote brass playing in primary and secondary schools. Heather is currently preparing for her final recital at college in May. As part of her recital, Heather will premiere two new pieces written especially for her, the first by Dr. Paul Mealor and the second by the talented new composer Lucy Pankhurst. Heather hope graduated from the RNCM in June 2005 and earned a place on a PGCE secondary level teaching course, specialising in Music which started in September 2005.  In 2006 Heather married John Powell a professional musician and lives in Ruthin.  Heather now works as a peripatetic music teacher in the North Wales area.

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