Our story

Who we are

Wardle Community Brass Band was formed in 1997, and gave its first concert on 21 November that year. Peter Bamber was the driving force behind it. Lots of parents wanted to learn an instrument just as their children were doing in lessons at Wardle Academy, and the community band gave them the chance.

William Anderson, founding head of Wardle Academy, died in 1996, just missing the next chapter of the banding family he started. We like to think he'd have been very proud.

Like many groups, the band struggled after the pandemic and was down to a handful of players. Since April 2023 we've worked hard at recruiting, growing from 12 players to 43, and the relaunched band gave its first concert in July 2023 at a local cricket club. Today our players range from 13 to over 80, and four of them have been with the band since the very beginning.

In March 2026 we entered our first contest, the North West Area Championships in Blackpool, and won the 4th Section. Six months later, on 20 September at York Barbican, we became 4th Section National Champions of Great Britain, earning promotion to the 3rd Section.

None of it would happen without our volunteers and families, and the support of Wardle Academy and Wardle Club.

We welcome anyone who wants to play: complete beginners, people returning after years away, and experienced players looking for a relaxed blow.

Our conductors

Over the decades the band has been led by Gwen Smith, Tom Hobson, Alan Rigg and Nick Jackson. Our current conductor is Jane Conway.

Honours

• 2026
  National Champions of Great Britain — 4th Section (York, Heroes of the North, 1st of 16)
• 2026
  North West Area Champions — 4th Section (Blackpool, Indian Summer, 1st of 13 — our first contest)
• 2027
  Promoted to the 3rd Section

The Wardle banding family

Wardle punches well above its weight for brass. We sit alongside:

• Wardle Anderson Brass — the village's 1st Section band.
• The Wardle Academy bands — from beginner groups up to the award-winning Youth Band.