Community
30 October 2017
GTAccess sponsored the Wychavon Festival of Brass that was held in Evesham recently. As a key sponsor of the event GTAccess helped the organisers of the Festival of Brass to adapt their venue, a sports hall at Evesham High School to make it acoustically suited to the instruments used by the bands. With the help of two Skyjack SJ4632 scissor lifts and operators from GTAccess the walls of the hall were safely covered with an acoustic fabric designed to help lower the reverberation that would be caused by the hard, smooth walls of the sports hall.
The Festival of Brass was the result of an initiative developed by the Vale of Evesham Commerce and Tourism Association which, in the late 80’s, was seeking to raise the profile of the town. An exciting brass band contest was seen as an interesting and novel way of attracting visitors and offering the local population the opportunity to hear and experience some fabulous brass band music!
Because of the support of VECTA, Wychavon District Council and a variety of other local organisations, the Wychavon Festival of Brass has continued to grow and develop, adapting itself to differing conditions and needs as economic climates change, and bands and venues come and go!
Many bandsman will remember the early contests, the first of which was held in the Market Square and the nearby All Saints Church in Evesham. It was a beautiful and memorable day and the bands were bathed in sunshine. However, before long, the event became nomadic and rotated between the Wychavon towns of Evesham, Pershore and Droitwich before settling permanently (as far as we know!) back in its home town of Evesham in 2013.
The organisation regularly undertakes new projects like the development of a Youth Festival, and seeks to sustain itself and interest in the brass band movement generally through collaborative efforts with its other partners in staging concerts and other events from time to time.
Over twenty years have elapsed since the festivals first contest and it is still alive and kicking and GTAccess are looking forward to continuing their support of the event next year.