John Woods of Shaw Trust and Brass in Concert

Solo Euphonium, John Woods, was this week featured in the British Bandsman magazine discussing exactly how an organisation that works with disabled and disadvantaged people throughout the UK has become central to the ongoing success of the Brass in Concert Festival, held each November at The Sage Gateshead.

"Kenneth Crookston meets John Woods of Shaw Trust and discovers exactly how an organisation that works with disabled and disadvantaged people throughout the UK has become central to the ongoing success of the Brass in Concert Festival, held each November at The Sage Gateshead.

Just how does an organisation that recently became the largest provider of the UK Government’s new Pathways to Work and New Deal for Disabled People come to be involved in the most prestigious brass band entertainment contest in the world? The two may seem a world apart, but John Woods, who could be said to have a foot in both camps, has worked tirelessly over the past three years to develop the relationship, which has existed since one of the founders of the Brass in Concert Championship, David Bennett, was on secondment to Shaw Trust in the early 1990s.

Although the organisation has supported Brass in Concert financially through its sponsorship of individual prizes since then, it is through its hands-on involvement with the Taster Sessions and Focus on Brass and Percussion workshops, which have taken place in The Sage Gateshead over the weekend of the last two Championships, that the its role has become much more prominent.

John Woods’ connections with brass bands go back many years, predominantly in the southwest of England, where he is well known as a euphonium player and administrator. John is solo euphonium of Phoenix Brass (Crewkerne), a successful band based in Somerset, which was formed just over a decade ago by John and likeminded friends and players, with an aim to create a friendly band, focused upon improving individual and band standards through contests and a structured concert schedule. Phoenix Brass (Crewkerne), which started out in the 4th Section, now has national 2nd Section status and is on the verge of achieving promotion to Section 1, and John has been its Contest Secretary since the band was formed.

After a long career with Barclays Bank, with which he undertook a number of senior managerial positions in Bristol, Wales and London, John joined Shaw Trust four years ago and is now Business Solutions Manager in its Information Services department. He started playing at the age of eight with Sherborne Town Band, of which his father was solo cornet and Chairman. Having started on cornet, John moved to euphonium in his late teens and has a number of awards and contest successes to his credit. Other bands John has been associated with include Bideford Town, Aldershot Brass, Mere Manor and Esbjerg Brass Band in Denmark. During his career with Barclays, John was Vice-Chairman of Barclay Brass, with which he has performed at a variety of events around the country.

What about Shaw Trust and the work that it undertakes throughout the country? Working mainly in collaboration with equal opportunity organisations and Government agencies like Job Centre Plus, it works with disabled and disadvantaged people throughout the UK, with an aim of providing opportunities for improving lives, as well as platforms for return to employment. In 2008 it proudly boasted the following achievements:
 

• Empowering 67,335 people to change their lives for the better through access to employment and living more independent lives.
• Becoming the largest provider of the Government’s new Pathways to Work and New Deal for Disabled People
• programmes, enabling Shaw Trust to support almost 160,000 people over the duration of these initiatives.
• Celebrating 25 years of existence, over which it has worked with 294,088 people, empowering more than 64,000 to find and stay in employment.
• Realising its ambitions to help disadvantaged people internationally with the launch of its first venture with an organisation outside the UK – a working partnership with Integracja in Poland.
• Building awareness of the Shaw Trust name on the high street, with 20 new support centres and an increase in the
• number of retail shops to 35.
• Achieving recognition as one of Britain’s top employers for the second year running - the top ranking registered charity.
• Shaw Trust’s main aims for 2009 include:
  • Engaging with over 75,000 disableda and disadvantaged people to support them to fulfil their potential through greater independence and employment opportunities.
  • Supporting employers to promote healthy, more inclusive workplaces through the launch of its mental health campaign to tackle the stigma of mental ill health at work.
  • To continue to expand internationally to support disabled and people across the world, using the learning to ensure continuous improvement in the delivery of services.
  • To open its support to a broader range of people by creating new and innovative services across employment, independent living services and social care provision.
  • To establish itself as the leading third sector voice in the industry – lobbying Government for the necessary reforms to realise its 80% employment aspirations.
  • To continue to attract and retain the best staff - in Shaw Trust’s words, ‘Our most valued asset’ – through
    commitment to equality and diversity, personal development and progression opportunities.

Shaw Trust is clearly very proud of its presence at The Sage as a partner of Brass in Concert, and it will be there again this year over the weekend of 14-15 November, when the Taster Sessions and Focus on Brass and Percussion Workshops will also be supported by York Instruments.

Yamaha has also been a valued supporter ofthe event in the past and anyone who was present during last year’s foyer concert, prior to the Youth Brass in Concert performance by Rochdale Borough Youth Band, will remember just what an uplifting occasion it was. John Woods recalled:

“It’s great to be part of a whole weekend of activity, but it was especially wonderful to see and hear the enthusiasm and
achievement surrounding the concourse event by the workshop participants on the Saturday afternoon.”

John continued: “This was my third visit to the Brass in Concert event, which I had only previously read about in British Bandsman and watched on DVD. The welcome in the north-east is always warm and friendly, and I really value the friendship of the Beere family and other members of the Brass in Concert management team. For me, though, it is a real pleasure to share my working life with that of my hobby and passion - brass bands - and to have become part of a team that attends to every detail in its planning and looks for opportunities to push the boundaries and try something new. The weekend also provides a healthy mix of the elite, in the form of the bands performing in the Championship itself and the World of Brass in Concert on the Saturday evening, and beginners, some of whom are playing a brass instrument for the very first time, as well as players and enthusiasts at all levels in between. It is this diverse platform
that makes the event such an important part of Shaw Trust’s awareness-raising activities and we look forward to building on the success of previous events at this year’s Brass in Concert Festival.”

As well as John Woods, Dave Coles, who also plays in Phoenix Brass (Crewekerne), Gary Hutchinson of Barnard Castle Band and Stuart Ralph all now play a vital role in the Taster Sessions, and last year they were rewarded with an uplifting letter from the grandmother of one of the participants, Mrs June Richardson, who wrote: ‘We were all delighted to receive the photographs of Alexander that you took at The Sage. When Alexander returned home, he told his mother and father about it immediately as he was very excited. My son is profoundly deaf and does not even fully comprehend what music means. His wife is also very deaf, and Alexander has a severe to moderate loss but loves music, which gives his parents a great deal of pleasure. I was very moved to see him make such a good attempt at playing brass. Brass bands are very close to my heart and I go to most of the concerts at The Sage. I hope to see you there next year. Thank you for your kindness.’

“It’s this type of response that makes all the effort worthwhile,” said John Woods, adding, “We were also very pleased to see young Alfie Briggs on cornet, who had attended the Taster Sessions in 2007, taking part in the Workshops last year, so we hope to see more of the many young players who had their first taste of playing a brass instrument at The Sage last year returning in the years ahead. We also thank Chris North for the kind donation of music to use during the Taster Sessions.”

Commenting on behalf of the organisational team, Trevor Caffull of World of Brass, stated, “We are delighted with the continuing association between Brass in Concert and Shaw Trust, which has proved to be generous and helpful sponsors of the event over the past few years. Equally rewarding is the way in which John Woods has become an integral part of the planning team for the event - his enthusiasm for the partnership shines through and his encouragement to continue to develop new ways of connecting with the young and disadvantaged have helped make the taster sessions and workshops an outstanding success. Attracting young brass players to these workshops has been achieved through making vital connections with the youth banding scene in the north-east, and in this respect Alan Hope, Secretary of the North East Association has also been hugely influential and helpful.”

To find out more about Shaw Trust and its programmes and services that may support someone you know, visit www.shaw-trust.org.uk"

Released On 24th May 2009