About Us

2018 First Section Welsh League Champions
2018, 2019 First Section UK National Finals Qualifiers

Our thanks to Rondo Media (https://rondo.cymru) for allowing us to use this excerpt from Band Cymru 2018. 


Burry Port Town Band has a long and colourful past, with the first historical mention of the band, originally named the Elliots Smelting Works Band, found in 1896. The band grew from this humble, industrial beginning and established itself as a community favourite, playing at local fetes and marches and raising money to support both itself and worthy causes. One such worthy cause came at the turn of the century when the band organised a march for the destitute and unemployed of Kidwelly, which raised the princely sum of £8. However, the band had wider ambitions than its local stage, and during its first period, the lifeblood of the band quickly became the contest stage. Indeed, a major highlight during this time was the band’s performance at the Crystal Palace in London.

Sadly, just before the outbreak of the Second World War the band’s fortunes took a turn for the worse and it disbanded. Gone but not forgotten, decades later in 1972 a group of local enthusiasts held a meeting with the aim of re-establishing the band. Old instruments and a library of music were discovered, and these, together with some new purchases, a place to rehearse and a keen group of volunteers, sowed the seeds of the band’s renaissance.

The band continued to grow in terms of performance throughout the 80s and 90s winning a host of prizes in the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st Sections and in 2000, the band was promoted to the elite Championship Section. Since 2001, the band has seven times claimed the title of “Champion Band of Wales”, four times won the National Eisteddfod of Wales and three times represented Wales at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain at the Royal Albert Hall in London, competing against the country’s top 20 bands. In 2005 the band also claimed victory in the British Open Senior Cup competition at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, beating off the challenge of 20 other bands from across the United Kingdom.

In 2010, after 11 consecutive years of competing as a Championship Section band, the band was relegated to the First Section. However, following a sustained period of building, 2012 saw the band being promoted back to the Championship Section following their victory in the First Section at the Welsh Regional Championships.  That victory formed part of a purple patch of success between October 2011 and February 2015 which saw the band awarded 20 overall performance prizes, 14 “best instrumentalist” prizes and promotion to the British Open Grand Shield. The band were delighted to start their 2015 campaign with a victory at the Welsh Open Entertainment Championship in February at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl.

In addition to contesting, the band also remain very active on the concert stage and in recent years have enjoyed performing alongside Paul Potts, John Owen Jones, Richard Allen, Timothy Richards, Cor Meibion Llanelli, Lleisiau’r Cwm, Cor Curiad, Twrw Tawe, Cor Aelwyd y Waun Ddyfal, The Tenovus Cancer Care Swansea Sing With Us Choir and S4C Cor Cymru Champions Parti Llwchwr.

Indeed the band prides itself on remaining a top-flight brass band, however, we never forget our humble roots. We are keen to ensure that future generations of young players enjoy the opportunity of playing a brass instrument without any financial pressure on their families. To which end, we run, without any cost to the young brass and percussion players, a Junior Band which rehearse on a Sunday evening from 5pm to 6pm, again in our bandroom at The Memorial Institute, Parc-Y- Minos, Burry Port. From the newest of players to the next generations’ banding stars, we are keen to support and secure the future of the brass banding tradition in Wales through our youth programme.

BPTB Main pic

Burry Port Town Band, The Memorial Institute, Parc-Y- Minos, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, SA16 0BN