As the Band had no resident soprano cornet player, Sarah (Little Legs) Matthews wasted no time in asking her friend Rebecca Spinks from Camborne Youth if she would be able to play for the contest. Luckily for us she was willing and able and, with the huge support from her parents who had to make the long journey up from Camborne for each practice, played amazingly. This was just as well because there is a lone soprano solo right at the end of the piece! Rebecca showed no sign of nerves and we still say she was definitely the best soprano on the day. We owe Rebecca and her family a lot of thanks and hope our friendship will continue.

Another player who deserves a mention is Miles Johns from the senior band. Miles kindly came in to help our very young (sorry Mark) Eb bass section.

The run-up to the contest was not without it's moments, one being that Jo Powell the band's solo horn player, was left with a badly swollen and infected lip which happened over the weekend of the National Finals in London where she was playing with the senior band. Even after a week's rest it became obvious, and much to Jo's dismay, that she wouldn't be able to play at Torquay Contest. Many calls were made to find another solo horn player, but to no avail. We shouldn't have been too disheartened though, because Yasmin kindly agreed to cover any of the solo horn parts that were noticeable which meant she didn't have many rests for the whole piece! Simon Dobson cleverly knitted together the solo horn parts with her own. Thanks a lot Yaz you're a star!

In preparation for Torquay Contest the band performed the test piece at the Roseland Festival Concert in Portscatho on Wednesday 31st October. In that concert the band were without it's entire horn section, so very kindly the "dream team" of Sarah Whitehead and Jane Whitehead stepped in, ably assisted by Michael Smith. Simon decided to play the test piece as the first piece on in the second half. The band played it really well and the audience were whipped up to a frenzy of cheering and clapping. The concert went very well and the organisers were very generous with their praise for the Youth Band.

This was Sarah Matthews' first contest as Principal Cornet. In the test piece were several cornet solos, the main one being in the second movement which is a slow and soulful melody. As usual Sarah played like a true professional and many people throughout the day said how wonderfully she had played. The prize for best instrumentalist however, went to Kim Bazeley, Euphonium, from St. Dennis.

On stage the Youth Band played it's best performance of the test piece and all the band and supporters felt all the hard work had paid off. St. Dennis Youth pipped Mount Charles to the post by just one point, many felt it could have gone either way.

The Youth Band are straight back into practices for the Triple Gold Concert being held on the 18th November in The Hall for Cornwall. The concert is being held to celebrate that Cornwall has got three excellent prize winning youth bands and that is indeed something to celebrate.

Thanks to Trathens Coaches, The Rainbow Hotel - Torquay, SWBBA and of course parents, friends and supporters of Mount Charles Youth Band.