## Trustees Annual Report for Murley Silver Band 2024-2025 

Murley Silver Band have had a very good year’s banding up to end January 2025. Band activities have taken on their usual routine of rehearsals to prepare for concerts, parades and contests. We have also been busy with a learner group (Bob Hall School of Music) and a development level band (Murley Concert Band) to help support young people’s musical journey towards the senior band. This was a very special year for Murley Band as we celebrated our Centenary. 

In February Murley staged their Centenary Concert at the Valley Hotel, Fivemiletown where the Centenary CD was launched. Later that month a small group played at a Cookery demonstration at Clogher Valley Rugby Club. We then prepared for the Brass in Concert Contest in early March. May saw the band provide music for the wedding of our staff man and his bride in Omagh. Later in the month Murley provided background music for a Garden Party hosted by Lord & Lady Hamilton in Tamlaght, Enniskillen as a fund raiser for Palliative Care transport. 

On 19[th] May St John’s Church of Ireland in Fivemiletown held a service of dedication to mark the band’s centenary. 

In June a group of our players enjoyed a weekend trip to take part in a joint concert with the world-famous Black Dyke Mills band at Huddersfield Town Hall. On the same weekend the band paraded Fivemiletown as part of the massed band with Cavanaleck Pipe band. We also played at the 12[th] July parade in Ballygawley and a week later played in Dromore for the Ulster Fleadh.  The Last Saturday parade was then in Ballygawley at end August. The Autumn saw us prepare for the NIBA contest at the Market Place Theatre, Armagh where we competed in mid October under our new Musical Director, Kevin Teers. We also continued to work towards getting a new lease agreed with Blessingbourne Estate so that we can then redevelop and extend our band hall to help us celebrate our Centenary in 2024. During November we played in Omagh on Remembrance Sunday. 

At Christmas we played at a number of events including Fermanagh Choral Society’s concert in Enniskillen and also at our own Centenary Carol service in St John’s where we were accompanied by Fermanagh Choral Society. We then enjoyed our Christmas dinner at Edfield Restaurant, Fivemiletown where our annual fund- raising draw took place and cups were awarded to players/sections. Other small groups played on Christmas Eve in the Valley Hotel and on Christmas morning at the Methodist church. We also played at St Mary’s chapel on the last Sunday of the year. 

In January 2025 we started rehearsing for the Brass in Concert contest which was staged in the Valley Hotel, Fivemiletown in early March. 

The Committee met every six-weeks usually through zoom calls with some face-to-face meetings towards the end of the year. 

M Bloomfield Co-Chair Murley Silver Band