Meet the Players

Gary Standeven MCGI LRSM

Cornet

(Chairman)

Gary started to learn the cornet aged 8 under the expert tuition of former Royal Doulton euphonium player Derrick Deakin. He played Solo cornet in various bands including Hanley/Stoke Brass and Wind Bands, Staffordshire County Youth Brass Band and Ceramic City Brass.

He joined the Royal Marines Band Service at Deal in Kent in September 1986 and spent the next 26 and a half years studying music and travelling extensively, playing for British Royalty and foreign dignitaries at exclusive and exotic locations around the globe.

Gary retired from the Royal Marines Band Service as a Warrant Officer Bandmaster and moved back to Stoke On Trent in April 2012.  One thing we have learned is that for a former oboe player he's one hell of a good musician and a brilliant guy to have in your corner.  Ask him any question and he will have an answer for you; it's not the usual rubbish the rest of us come out with either - oh yeah, he's one of the '3 Amigos' too.

A founder member of PVB, he is currently a Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages based at Stoke Civic Centre. Gary has a grown up daughter and son, three grandchildren and lives in Trent Vale.

Matthew Aplin

Soprano Cornet

Matt joined our band in summer 2022 after hearing us play at Stoke Minster Spring Fayre. He started to learn the cornet aged 6 with the Salvation Army in Poole, Dorset, with further guidance from his Father, a former professional military musician. He has played Solo cornet in both Salvation Army bands and brass bands including a stint a principal cornet of Newport Town Band. Until recently Matt was the Flugelhorn player in the West Midlands Divisional Youth Band - a position he was proud to have held for 15 years!

As a musician he has travelled all over the UK and parts of Europe with school bands. Musical highlights include playing a solo as part of a Massed Bands at the Royal Albert Hall for the 'Youth Makes Music' concert.

Matt has recently moved to the area and after a long search found his new Brass band home at PVB, where he enjoys the family feel of the band (and the banter!). He has worked as a maintenance engineer since 2012 and currently works as resident engineer of a large automation company in Uttoxeter.  Matt is married to the lovely Alex and they have two sons, Albert and Eric.

Glynn Lewis

Cornet

(Band Manager)

Glynn is Managing Director of his family roofing business and enjoys gardening and baking. Let's just say we all LOVE Glynn, especially at birthday time when he brings in a cake.  Glynn started playing just before the band was formed and is one of the founding fathers of PVB.  A word of warning to our audiences, be aware of his laugh! When he gets the giggles there's little that will stop him and you will probably end up joining in too!

Andy Walker

Cornet

Mark Preece

Cornet

Mark played Cornet and Trumpet at school and was in Moulton Village Band near Northapmton when it formed in 1977.  Occasionally tinkering on the Trumpet more off than on over the years, he went to a brass band concert in 2016 and was inspired to buy a cornet and start practising again - painful for the family and neighbours after a 25 year break!

As a Nature Reserve manager for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Mark enjoys being outside watching all kinds of flora and fauna - birds, plants, even moths! He likes to capture the action with his camera or sometimes with a drawing or painting in his drawing pad. Mark saw the advert for PVB's new training band in 2017 and turned up to find out more.

Mark's favourite music is anything that gets the audience involved, pop played with all the dots and dashes in place, along with big band and swing. He loves our annual weekend trip to Portmeirion Village and really enjoyed the recent 2024 Ironbridge Brass Band Festival.

Sylvia Mallory

Cornet

Sylvia first started playing cornet at Bedale Secondary Modern School in North Yorkshire at the age of 12 when the new music teacher started up the first school brass band.  This band went on to play at the Albert Hall for a massed school bands concert.  At college Sylvia played for Scarborough Town Band for 3 years.  One of their more unusual gigs was at Peasholm Park where the band and their instruments had to be rowed out to the bandstand which was in the middle of a lake.  After a break of 22 years Sylvia joined Stone Town Band  with her daughter in 1994, progressing to principal cornet and contesting with them.  This is where she played in her first of many Whit Marches.  In 2013 Sylvia joined Trentham Brass Band, contesting with them in both 3rd & 4th section.  In 2015 she toured with them in Europe playing concerts in Belgium, Holland & Germany and played in Maastricht and the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony in Ypres.   In 2021 & 2022 she played at the Nationals in Cheltenham with this band.  

Sylvia joined us in 2023 and is looking forward to letting her inner ABBA persona out again at our next Poptastic concert. 

Deborah McAndrew

Cornet

Deb is Joint Artistic Director of Claybody Theatre, based in Stoke on Trent. She is an award-winning playwright, and in her acting career she is best known for playing  Angie Freeman in Coronation Street in the 1990's. 

Deb joined us in January 2017 after coming to our Christmas concert. She started with the band on tenor torn but moved around when there was a shortage of second cornets. The best part of band rehearsals according to Deb is the break time cuppa, which she reckons is the 'best cuppa of the week'.

Marc Thӧnnissen

Trumpet/Cornet

Marc joined us in May 2017 after moving to the area with work. Originally from Meerbusch near Dusseldorf he has a wealth of musical experience, having perfomed in the Flora Sinfonie Orchester, marching bands, dance and cover bands, brass quintet and even better - Egerlander Oompah Band!  

Clearly someone who relishes dressing up to suit the occasion, we just know Marc will settle in well and enjoy performing our varied and entertaining repertoire. Here he is sporting his recent new hairstyle!

Update September 2022. 

Rob Morrey

Cornet

Deb Clarke

Cornet

After joining the Royal Military Police at the age of 17, Deb served in the UK and Germany.  Her service highlights include being posted to the RMP Mounted Troop and standing in for the official buglers at an Edinburgh Tattoo show. After leaving the Army she put her experience to good use, joining the Army Cadet Force, earning a Territorial Army Commission and working as the area's training Office.

Deb now works as an outdoor educational instructor.

Helen Wilcox

Cornet

Julian Perks

Cornet

Claire Shepherd

Flugel Horn

(Youth Band Tutor)

Claire has a backgound as an industrial chemist, specifically in waste management. Her musical education began as a baritone player in the Salvation Army.  Now a private tutor, specialising in Science and Mathematics, she runs our youngsters training band, ably assisted by Lou, Phil, Isabel and Anna (when available). Claire also has her own online business catering for a very niche pet supply market - Totally Degu! As we found out on our band ZOOM quiz nights during lockdown, if you want a Ninja-standard science round that sorts out the wheat from the chaff, Claire is the one to ask! Any spare time she has is spent hunting for her adopted escapologist tortoise called Xena.

David Cross

Tenor Horn

(Media Officer)

David joined the training band in January 2017 after a long break from playing, and feels very at-home.  Previously a French Horn player (which we have not held against him!) he has picked up the Tenor Horn -  under Lou's careful and patient guidance he quickly joined the main band and hasn't looked back since.  David has even devised his own special jazz chord notes which he occasionally puts in to amuse the second Cornets!

A chemist by training, David can often be found walking his dogs in the beautiful Staffordshire Moorlands or watching a rugby match, pint in hand.

Nicola Bowers

Tenor Horn

Jacqui Clarke

Tenor Horn

Jacqui had never read music or played and instrument until 2022. Her wife Deb, who had recently joined PVB, convinced her to take her children to a 'have a blow' session in June that year, at which she was given a P-Trumpet to try. She has never looked back and by August 2022 was on 2nd horn and learning on the job (and the 2 children joined PVB Juniors)

As a Prince's Trust Team Leader, Jacqui works to help 16-25 year olds find their path in life. In her younger days she was in an Alice Cooper tribute band! Other hobbies are running/keeping fit, gardening and walking with her dog. She has an eclectic taste in music but if pushed would say her favourite is rock.

Having played for such a short time she is still amazed at every gig she has played in! 

Conrad Nelson

Baritone

Conrad is joint Artistic Director of Claybody Theatre, based in Stoke on Trent. He is an actor, composer and musical director,  and his film credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Apparitions and The Flea. Theatre roles include his acclaimed performance as Iago in the Northern Broadsides productionof Othello when Lenny Henry played the lead.  As well as playing with the band, Conrad enjoys choral singing and ballroom dancing. Con loves brass band and has incorporated it into many theatre productions.

Jacqueline Martin

Baritone

Jacqui started as a majorette in the Bristol Unicorns Marching Band and then played Euphonium in the Northwinds Scout Band. At 18 years old she found boys - and drifted away from banding for 30 odd years. She heard PVB playing which rekindled her musical interest and joined the band early in 2022.

Outside of band Jacqui enjoys reading, gardening and DIY, she has 3 daughters, a dog, a cat and a snake. Her guilty pleasure is watching Ru Paul's Drag Race - the artists are so talented and their make-up is amazing! She enjoys all kinds of music from classical to heavy rock and her favourite band piece is Stal Himmel - such a haunting, thoughtful melody.

Jacqui's favourite gig with PVB was Octoberfest 2022, "It was such fun with the games and songs - and was also where I earned my nickname of Mrs Sausage!!"

Phil Wileman

Trombone

Phil started playing baritone aged 8 in the Salvation Army and moved onto trombone as he wanted to play the same instrument as his grandad and uncle. He has played with a few local bands over the years and joined PVB in 2016.

As a special needs school nurse, Phil covers 4 SEN schools in the Leek area. He has a degree in French and Russian (yes - a bit random!!) and says he is too busy practising to have any other hobbies. His favourite styles of music are jazz and big band with a hint of 80's pop and disco, maybe a bit of grunge thrown in - his favourite brass band piece is anything that features the trombone section but particularly The Stripper!

Phil's banding highlight is our Poptastic concerts - until his first one he had never seen people dancing to a brass band.

Isabel Hawkins

Trombone

Isabel is the youngest member of the ensemble and joined our training band in February 2017 after her family saw us busking in Hanley town centre the previous Christmas.

She has settled in really well and we were very pleased to congratulate her on passing the Grade 2 music exam with merit during summer 2017 - clearly a young lady with a very bright musical future.

Isabel is currently studying Animal Management at Reaseheath College.

Carl Talbot

Bass Trombone

(Players & Welfare Representative)

Following a full career in the Royal Signals, Carl is now an estimator in the construction industry.  His musical grounding was in the local area with various youth bands like several other members of the band. He has also passed on his considerable military experience as an Air Cadet instructor.  In his spare(!) time Carl's hobbies are sailing, attending rock concerts and collecting all manner of guitars.

Dave Mason

Euphonium

Louise Cooper

Euphonium (was Tenor Horn)

(Treasurer)

You're quite lucky that we have a picture of Lou, she's as elusive as an Amazonian Tribal Elder.  The 'horn' in the 6 cornets and a horn who formed PVB, Lou has a wicked sense of humour with a very loving and gentle touch and also assists Claire with running the kids training band.  One thing we do know she has a wonderful sound even if the trombones try and drown her out sometimes!

Anna Wileman

Euphonium

Chris Reynolds

Euphonium

Chris is a multi-talented musician and in addition to teaching and playing brass is the bass guitarist for local band The Sherry Counsellors. I'm sure there's some Romany in there somewhere; look at his hat collection!!  Chris is currently a peripatetic music teacher in Staffordshire but is also a qualified Geography teacher!  Another real joker, Chris has found a happy home with this bunch of misfits and loves the music we are playing, along with his slightly rusty but beautiful Mini Cooper.

Tilly Pazio

EEb Tuba

Well we all love the deep rich sound that Tilly makes on her tuba but perhaps what we love more than that is Tilly's deep knowldege of real ale!  It doesn't matter where we are playing, Tilly always knows which beer we should try first and there's usually a queue for her expert tuition.  Now I don't know what makes somebody want to play the tuba (especially as I hated carrying a trumpet case up the hill to school) but I know we are glad to have Tilly supporting the band with her bass so if you see her trudging up the hill to Penkhull, stop and give her a hand!

Mike Hill

EEb Tuba

Like many of us, Mike started his musical career at Primary School which for him was in Yorkshire. He spent 12 years with Norton Youth Brass Band and undertook 3 tours of Norway as a soloist for the Yorkshire and Humberside Brass Band. He was then 'unbrassed' for 32 years before joining PVB in October 2022.

Mike is currently Head of Education for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, previously a Head Teacher and College Principal and before that a PE teacher. Not surprisingly, sports and particularly rugby are his passions, formerly a player for Stoke RUFC at County level and Captain of Loughborough University Ruby League team who were SB Champions in 1990. He also hosts a podcast on Pubs and Breweries, and keeps certain band members supplied with 'proper' black pudding from Bury!

His favourite music is anything by The Wombles - having done some Brass Recording in his youth with Mike Batt (Wombles music man).

Mike's highlight with PVB is the annual Penkhull Wassail / Pub Crawl. The best memory his with youth band was playing through dusk at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire.

Thomas Evans

BBb Tuba / Sousaphone

Josh Thursfield

Percussion

Jon Howell

Percussion

Jon’s musical career began at the age of eleven learning the bell lyre in the 8th North Staffs Boys Brigade, which led into playing marimba and other orchestral percussion in American-style drum and bugle corps. He was a founder member of the Staffordshire Knights, bringing musical education to children in Staffordshire for over 25 years.

Honours include Stoke BB (BB National Champions 1992), Staffordshire Knights (BYBA National Champions 1998 and 1999) and The Company Performance Ensemble (DCUK National Champions and DCE European Champions 2016). Jon also had the privilege of spending a summer in Pennsylvania, USA competing with former world champions the Skyliners Drum & Bugle Corps.

He has taught and arranged orchestral percussion for a number of groups, and can now be found playing a weird and wonderful selection of percussion instruments in the corner of PVB’s ensemble.

Jon is a quality and risk management professional by day, and is also the owner of Jim the Sheepdoodle, who likes to attend the band’s outdoor events (you won’t fail to spot him!)

Sam Johnson

Percussion

Hans Offen Meine Nuts

Oompah Band Mascot

Hans (formerly know as "Bear") was officially christened by audience member Basil Hoover in a competition at our Oktobeerfest in 2016.  There were some excellent suggestions but the team thought the full name came out on top just ahead of Bear Necessity!

Hans was born in Erlangen, Stoke on Trent's twin town in Bavaria and he is currently studying music and Potteries Dialect.

He has tried to play a number of instruments in the band but his best effort so far has to be on the drums with Johnny as his tutor.  That said he is most famous for his photo bombing...