Having had the good luck to be at school at a time when music services had a reasonable level of funding, I started on the baritone at the age of 9.

Switching to the Bb bass when I was about 11, I went through the school/town/county band system until I went to university, then joined South Durham Industries Band (later North Eastern Industries Band) in Shildon, ending up on the euphonium towards the end of the band's time.

I didn't play at all for a couple of years after the end of NEIB, then joined Darlington Community Wind Band on euphonium, where I've been for over 20 years.

A chance request to help out Cockerton at a mutual friend's funeral led to me playing at the 150th anniversary concert and this reawoke the brass banding bug in me, so I then joined Northallerton Silver Band.

I'd been thinking for a while that I'd like to go back to the bass, so when I saw that Cockerton were looking for a BBb player it seemed like the stars had aligned, so here I am.

Winning the North of England first section championship in my first contest with the band hasn't been a bad start!