2025 National Championship Finals Report

Following the band's Second Section victory at the Scottish Championships in March, Perthshire Brass accepted an invitation to compete at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain held at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse on Saturday 13th September. While it had been just a year since the band's last visit to the prestigious competition, this marked our first time competing in the Second Section National Finals.

The band worked tirelessly over the summer holidays, balancing concert commitments with intensive rehearsals on the challenging set work "Adam Zero", composed by Sir Arthur Bliss and arranged for brass band by Dr Robert Childs. The complex piece presented significant technical challenges, with contest conductor Willie McMullan dedicating countless hours to both full band and sectional rehearsals to ensure the band were contest-ready.

Drawing the final slot to perform, the band delivered a confident performance that we were proud of. The hard work paid off and we were delighted to be awarded 6th place, receiving positive feedback from the adjudicators and favourable commentary from the banding press.

The whole weekend was a great success, but an emotional one too with the sad loss of our member and friend, Harry Cooper. Harry's presence was felt throughout the competition, represented by our lucky mascot Harold, and our conductor and percussion team proudly wore the distinctive Salvation Army tartan which Harry designed.

We must thank everyone who helped us to subsidise the cost of the trip, including individuals who donated to our various fundraisers, friends attending our concerts, and the Thomson Charitable Trust for their generous contribution.