British Federation of Brass Bands

National Office
Unit 12, Maple Estate, Stocks Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
United Kingdom, S75 2BL

Telephone 01226 771015

Email the General Secretary at national office

Development Officer Philip Watson 07803 147100 email

Liaison Officer Terry Luddington 07803 147101 email

Comments or suggestions about this website to Colin Johnson Webmaster

The BFBB is an independent registered charity that provides a collective national voice for individual bands throughout Great Britain. BFBB promotes the interests of brass music and offers brass bands representation at all levels. It is a democratic organisation, with an Executive Committee elected annually by its membership.

BFBB works in partnership with The Arts Council and the Voluntary Arts Network (VAN). BFBB is also a member of the Arts and Business Development Forum

The Charity is administered and managed in accordance with the governing document 'Constitution', by the BFBB Trustees known as the Executive Committee, consisting of not less than eight and not more than sixteen members.

The objects of the Charity are to maintain, improve and advance the education of the public through the promotion of the practice and performance of brass band music in the United Kingdom comprising of all those activities that are associated with brass bands.

The income of the Charity is applied in promoting these objects.

BFBB Contests Limited is a Private Company Limited by Shares, company number 4173400.

The single share owned by British Federation of Brass Bands, BFBB Contests limited is a Subsidiary Trading Company of the Charity, and enables the organisation to undertake projects and activity not necessarily within the objects but beneficial to the Charity, whilst safeguarding Charity assets.

It is administered and managed in accordance with Subsidiary Trading Law and Charity Commission subsidiary trading guidelines.

The Company Directors responsible for the management and administration of company trading and assets are:

• Membership of the Charity is open to any band or body corporate or uncorporated association which is interested in furthering the Charity's work and has paid an annual subscription. Such bands or bodies are referred to as 'Members', each member has one vote.

  Each member may appoint an individual to represent it and vote on it's behalf at meetings of the Charity, and may appoint a delegate if their representative is unable to attend. the charity shall be notified by the Member of such representative or alternative.

  Associate membership is open to individuals over the age of eighteen or body corporate or uncorporated association. Associate Members have no vote.

  For further membership information, please contact:

  BFBB National Office
  Unit 12
  Maple Estate
  Stocks lane
  Barnsley
  S75 2BL

• Download the Membership Application Form and send by post to the National Office.

  ---

  It is important that we hold accurate contact details for every band. Please use the form below to update our records.

  DownloadBand Contact Details Form and send by post to the National Office.

• The British Federation of Brass Bands invites member bands to apply for a Progressive Band Award.
  
  THE AWARDS
  The maximum total awards for any one year will be £2,500. Awards not allocated in the previous year may be carried forward into the next. The maximum amount of each individual award will be £250.
  
  WHO CAN APPLY?
  Only fully paid up members of the BFBB may apply.
  Member bands may apply for more than one project in a year but can only receive one award in any one year.
  
  PROJECT ELIGIBILTY
  The application must be in respect of a new project or event. No assistance will be given to existing projects or events.
  The project or event should be innovative. For example, the project or event may be designed to: increase participation in brass bands and/or brass band music; increase audiences or find new audiences; commission new, original, music; combine with other art forms; utilise digital communication systems; increase participation by minority groups; forge links with schools/community groups; (This list is not exhaustive and is not intended to stifle the imagination of bands applying for assistance).
  
  To emphasise the innovative nature of these awards:
  
  No awards will be made towards competitive events or contests.
  No awards will be made towards band CDs/DVDs.
  No awards will be made towards the purchase of instruments, uniforms or music.
  
  APPLICATIONS
  

• Applications, including a copy of your most recent annual accounts, should be made in writing to:

  Progressive Band Awards
  The British Federation Of Brass Bands
  Unit 12 Maple Estate, Stocks Lane
  Barnsley
  S75 2BL
  
  Please provide a full description of the project or event, the start and end date where applicable, and a detailed project budget.

• THE NORMAN JONES TRUST FUND

  Norman Jones was for many years the secretary of the British Federation of Brass Bands (BFBB) and worked tirelessly for the organisation and brass banding in general. He was responsible for setting up the Fedsure insurance scheme that has benefited many bands up and down the country and is a lasting legacy of his work.

  Following his untimely death in 2007 whilst on holiday, the BFBB were informed that they and its member bands would benefit from a large sum of money that Norman had bequeathed in his will.

  A trust fund of £62,500 has now been set up for member bands of the BFBB and applications are invited from bands and individuals.

  The trustees of the fund will be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the BFBB (the personnel will change if and when the officers change). In the event of one of the trustees declaring an interest in an application, two other members of the BFBB Executive Committee will be co-opted onto the panel to assess the application.

  Under the terms of the trust, funding could be provided for the following BFBB activities:-

  • Registry system improvements
  • Brass Band Archive support
  • Administration support

  For member bands to apply to the trust the following criteria will be used:-

  • New music commissions, especially from new or young composers
  • Working with other art forms and in particular, to fund capital items
  • Working with disadvantaged groups
  • Assistance for students to help with musical education
  • Projects which will have a lasting effect on the brass band
  movement/applicants

  Individuals applying for grants from the trust must prove that they are members of a BFBB member band. It is unlikely that 100% funding would be given to applications. Amounts awarded will depend on the quality of the application and the funds available at the time.

  Applications will be assessed quarterly and will need to be submitted by 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the application within 4 weeks of the above dates and the decision of the trustees is final.

  All applications, including a copy of your most recent annual accounts, should be sent to:

  Mrs. Carol Tattersfield
  BFBB General Secretary
  Unit 12 Maple Estate
  Stocks Lane
  Barnsley
  South Yorkshire
  S75 2BL

Fedsure is an exclusive all-inclusive insurance package specially designed for members of the BFBB, bringing together the specialist skills of brokers Brass Band Insurance Services and the BFBB.

Substantial insurance discounts are available to BFBB members through the Fedsure product.

Ø Can your band find money to replace lost or damaged instruments?

Ø Would you be faced with a dilemma should a member of the public be injured?

Ø If an accidental injury prevented a bandsman from attending his work would his income be lost or reduced?

All three questins can be answered to your benefit by Norwich Union Brass Band Insurance.

Basic Cover

° Band Instruments & Equipment.
Covered against theft, accidental loss or damage anywhere in Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel islands, and the Isle of Man. In addition, the cover applies anywhere in the world for a period not exceeding 45 days in any one period of insurance.

° Basis of Settlement
Band instruments that are lost or damaged beyond repair will be replaced on a 'New for Old' basis with no deduction for wear and tear. For instruments partially damaged the full cost of repair is paid. To make sure you get the full benefit of this cover you must insure for the full cost of replacing all of your instruments and equipment on a New basis.

° Peace of Mind
Norwich union will take the burdon of legal liability claims by members of the public with an Indemnity Limit of £2,000,000 or an increased limit of £5,000,000 (in respect of terrorism the standard Limit of indemnity will be restricted to £2,000,000).

° The policy Excludes
a) Theft from unattended vehicles, unless the instrument is being carried directly in connection with a rehearsal, practice, concert, or repair.
b) The first £25 of each and every claim, other than for fire.

° Optional Extension
For band members who are unable to work because of injury whilst participating in band activities including organised travel, cash payments can be made.

° Terrorism
Please not that in addition to its other terms, conditions, exceptions or exclusions, the policy wording may incorporate provisions which exclude loss, damage or liability caused by acts of terrorism, and the terms of any quotation should be read as having been adjusted accordingly. Full details are available on request.

° Special Service

In addition, this specially arranged protection is brought to you by brass Band Insurance Services who provide specialist service to brass bands.

For individuals there is also specially arranged cover for their own instruments. Details will be provided by brass Band Insurance Services om request.

The above information gives a brief summary of the cover required. Full details and a copy of the policy wording are obtainable from

Brass Band Insurance Services
312 High Street
Harlington
Hayes
Middlesex
UB3 5BT

Tel 020 8759 0825
or

Norwich union
8 Surrey Street
Norwich
NR1 3NG

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Brass Bands has a membership drawn from Members of the House of Commons (MPs) and members of the House of Lords. They take a healthy interest in the activities of brass bands and promote a wider participation of all interested groups and the wider public in brass bands. Some members of the group, such as Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland, have campaigned on behalf of brass bands for many years but others are gaining a fresh insight. The All Party Parliamentary Group for Brass Bands meets two or three times a year and BFBB acts as secretariat for the group.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Brass Bands is a wonderful platform to air the views and discuss the issues that matter to the brass band sector and brass bands are encouraged to engage with the group either through BFBB or their own MP. This group will be able to comment on, and influence, decisions taken in parliament that will affect the future of all British brass bands.

Trustee Meetings

All meetings are conducted in accordance with the Governing Document (Constitution).

There are at least two Trustee (Executive Committee) meetings each year, although generally, meetings occur on a monthly or sometimes bi-monthly basis.

Every matter is determined by a majority vote of the Trustees present.

Several sub-committees are established in order to make recommendation to the Trustees on specific matters.

All matters discussed are recorded by minute.

Annual General Meeting

The BFBB AGM takes place in February or as soon as practicable thereafter.

All Members will be notified at least 21 days in advance of the AGM. All Members of the Charity are entitled to attend and to vote at the meeting, except Associate members who are entitled to attend but not entitled to vote.

The Executive Committe present the Annual Report and accounts of the Charity for the preceeding year.

Nominations for the Executive Committee must be made by the members, and submitted in writing to the General Secretary no later than fourteen days before the AGM. If nominations exceed vacancies, election shall be by ballot.

• BFBB Data Protection Statement

  The BFBB respects, and is fully committed to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals, and considers that the legitimate treatment of personal information is crucial to our aims.

  The BFBB complies fully with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. We ensure our procedures comply with the eight main principles outlined within the act.

  The BFBB Data Protection Policy is to hold data that is relevant only to the purpose of enhancing the medium of brass music performance through advancement in education, public performance and media recognition of such medium.

  The BFBB will retain information only for so long as it may be required for this purpose.

  The BFBB will only disclose or transfer information in accordance with our registration purpose.

  Data will only be used for sales or marketing purposes where we consider that such purpose may be beneficial to the subject.

  The BFBB web-sites do not use cookies, capture information or install any code.

  Subjects have right of access to all information we retain about them. The normal administration charge of ten pounds will apply upon receipt of an access request. An access request should be made in writing to the Data Controller, British Federation of Brass Bands, Unit 12, Maple Estate, Stocks Lane, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S75 2BL.

  The subject will be forwarded a copy of information highlighted in the access request within the required period of forty days.

  Complaints regarding any matter relating to the data we retain should be made in writing to the Data controller.

  The BFBB will record complaints and will periodically review its data policy in the light of complaint.

• Implementing basic child protection and safeguarding procedures is relatively straightforward for brass bands now that BFBB has become a Registered Body with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

  As a registered umbrella body, BFBB will endeavour to process applications quickly and without any fuss for bands.

  This service is free of charge to member bands, and a small administration charge will be made for applications received from non-member bands and other organisations.

  It is very important that all bands use the CRB facility. We know that many of you have not registered your members to-date so we advise you to take a look at the procedures you have in place to see if they are up to date. We advise that any senior members who work with young people agree to a CRB check. If you apply for some grants or apply for charitable status you will need to have your CRB checks in place.

  If you would like more information or assistance concerning your CRB applications contact

  Derek Atkinson
  

  Telephone 01744755463

• Changes to the Enhanced CRB checking process
  Last June, the Government made a commitment in its Coalition Agreement to make CRB checks more proportionate and fair. Since then, the CRB, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office have been working together to achieve this aim.
  New regulations were laid in Parliament on 6 December 2010 to set out which police data sources will be searched by the CRB. These new regulations mean that an Enhanced CRB check will now focus on a more targeted search method, instead of sending the applicant’s details to each force where they have lived in the past five years.  This can often result in no additional information being returned, lead to delays and cause unnecessary intrusion into applicant’s private lives.   All applicants’ details will continue to go through the CRB’s matching process to establish if any details are held on the Police National Computer (PNC) or are included on the police local cross referencing database, which highlights which local police forces and other data sources hold information on the applicant.  In doing this, we can target only the forces which may hold relevant information and hence speed up the process.
  The only two exceptions to this are where the occupation of the applicant is to be principally home-based and where we have matched the applicant to a criminal record on the PNC.
  We would like to reassure you that the process will still continue to provide customers with all information held about convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, as well as any relevant non-conviction information held locally by the police. As such, the changes do not increase the risk of harm to the vulnerable.
  Once all the changes to the Enhanced checking system have been implemented we expect that they will:

  • * Significantly reduce unnecessary intrusion into citizens’ private lives;
  • * Reduce the length of time many of our customers wait for their CRB certificate;
  • * Improve customer satisfaction.

  How long will this take?
  The changes are currently being implemented through a phased approach for different police forces and should be completed by 31 March:

  • * Phase one began on 6 December 2010 with the Metropolitan Police Service, who currently deal with the largest volume of RB applications;
  • * Phase two commenced on 17 January and included a further 23 forces;
  • * The final phase launched on 14 February includes the remaining 29 forces.

  Are these changes part of the Criminal Records Review?
  No. The timeliness of CRB checks remains a high priority for the CRB and is in line with the Government’s commitment to make CRB checks more proportionate and fair. These changes, which have been agreed by Ministers, will help to address public concerns over proportionality, the intrusion into citizens’ private lives and the timeliness of the CRB checking service, in line with the outcome of the Criminal Records Review. Mrs Sunita Mason, who is conducting the review is aware of these changes and is supportive of them.

• email Derek

• CHILD PROTECTION
  POLICY AND PROCEDURES
  Recommended good practice in brass banding
  

  The introduction of this Child Protection policy is a clear signal by the BFBB that it is determined to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect from harm, those children and young people who participate in brass playing at all levels.

  All brass bands are welcome to download these two documents; hard copies will be available, upon request, soon. The BFBB will welcome any comments you may have concerning the policy or any other child protection issues.

  Framework Policy

  Entitled ‘Child Protection Policy’; this is a substantial document which draws your attention to the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults and the safeguards your band should have in place. This Child Protection Policy, and accompanying appendices, will guide bands through the action required to ensure that everyone who participates in brass banding does so in an enjoyable and safe environment.

  Our Child Protection Framework policy is available to BFBB members inside the members area.

• CHILD PROTECTION
  CODE OF CONDUCT
  Recommended good practice in brass banding
  

  The introduction of this Child Protection policy is a clear signal by the BFBB that it is determined to ensure all necessary steps are taken to protect from harm, those children and young people who participate in brass playing at all levels.

  All brass bands are welcome to download these two documents; hard copies will be available, upon request, soon. The BFBB will welcome any comments you may have concerning the policy or any other child protection issues.

  Code of Conduct

  This document, recommended by the BFBB to encourage the establishment of principles and high duty of care within bands, is the ‘Code of Conduct’, which is aimed at teachers, tutors, trainers and instructors of brass playing.

• Our Code of Conduct is available to BFBB members inside the members area.