Swinton Band - Committee and Life members

	Committee Members
	Valerie Our principal Trombonist is probably the only professional musician in the band - that she earns her living on the bassoon is irrelevant! With the departure of Jane to sunny Cornwall, Valerie takes over the unenviable role of Minutes Secretary!	Kath After a brief break from serving on the committee, Kath, our first horn player is back! Kath is yet another of those who came in as adult learners along with their offspring. Donna may come and go, but Kath stays a dedicated player regardless!
	Maggie Maggie represents the age group who form the majority of the band at present. After a long time as a back row cornet she has recently moved to euphonium, thus ensuring that it continues to be the loudest section of the band!	Andrew Yet another player who got strong-armed into learning because his offspring started, our soprano player has been thrown in at the deep end and is swimming most impressively!
	Jason Our Solo Horn player brings a different perspective and experience of banding to us, as he hails from Australia. He is frequently heard to complain of the lack of sunshine in Yorkshire!	Ellis Ellis is a relatively recent arrival in the main band from the Learners group and is the youngest member of the committee. As second baritone, she is well equipped to put forward the view of the underdog!
	Mike While, on paper, Mike is a Bass player, he spends most of his time hitting things (usually timps) at the back of the band. Before his offspring started learning brass instruments he was a cellist!	Catherine As well as playing E flat Bass (thus proving that whiskers are not compulsory for Bass players!) and being the librarian, Catherine is also responsible for the newsletter and website.

Life Members - Colin, Ray, Polly, Derek, Jane, Steve and Dorothy
	Colin was one of the first group of learners and has played with the main band for 65 years. As a back row cornet he has been a huge support to youngsters as they move up from learners. He was made a life member in 1997 and has recently retired from active playing.
	Ray was also one of the first learners and played for 66 years with the main band on euphonium, baritone and most recently trombone. He was immensely active with the learners group and served as Chairman for some years. When he retired from this role he was made life member in 1997. He died aged 79 in 2004.	Polly was the wife of Clarrie Cartwright who was Bandmaster for thirty years. After his death she continued to be a key figure in the band for the rest of her life, both fundraising and caring for the Bandroom. She was made a life member in 1997, shortly before her death.
	Jane was one of the original group of girl learners in 1968 and is now the only one of them still playing in the band. She has played flugel for us for most of the intervening years. As well as playing, Jane has made a huge contribution to fundraising and to the profile of banding within the broader community and was made a life member in 2006.	Derek is probably the longest-serving player in the band, having been our percussionist since at least the early sixties (he is rather coy as to exactly how long!) and was made a life member in 2006. He has given a splendid grounding to untold young percussionists and continues to be at the heart of our percussion section.
	Dorothy first became involved with the band when her son David joined the euphonium line-up in the 1980s. Since then she has been a superlative Band Secretary, running the band with staggering efficiency and dedication. "Mummy Band" is probably THE key figure in the band and was made a life member in 2006	Steve has been a member of Swinton for some 25 years and has played a variety of instruments over the years as well as conducting the band on numerous occasions. These days he is our principal Bb bass player though he is also our Eb soloist! A key figure in organising the band's social life he was made a life member in 2006.