I have loved Elgar’s music for as long as I can remember (Enigma Variations, Pomp and Circumstance Marches) so to have any opportunity to celebrate him would be wonderful. I came across Songs of The Malvern Hills that my grandad played from in the ‘30s.

To get pupils to Elgar’s Birthplace in Broadheath, Worcestershire and see the Malverns from his garden gives you a sense of the composer. So, in 2011 I took a minibus of Beaudesert musicians there and played a concert to the public in the Carice Room. Having grabbed fish and chips we drove to the Malvern Hills. Pupils, parents and dogs all climbed the Beacon where, at the summit, I hoisted the Union Flag (on my washing line pole) and the assembled ensemble played ‘Land of Hope and Glory’… and the sun shone. What a glorious day that was!! (Click on the photo below for more pics…)