
ABOUT WITTON ALBION BAND

Roberts Bakery Band was formed from the Middlewich Town Band after securing the sponsorship of Northwich-based Roberts Bakery in 1980.
In March 2026 the band began an exciting new chapter, becoming Witton Albion Band following the formation of a partnership with Witton Albion Football Club. After the band needed to vacate the Roberts Bakery premises when the site was taken over in late 2025, Witton Albion generously provided the band with a new home and rehearsal facility, ensuring the continuation of the ensemble and its long musical tradition within the local community.
The band at the time of its early development was under the baton of Colin Cranson, who later retired from the position of musical director after holding the role for 41 years. Colin raised the band through the brass band ranks gaining credible results in competitions throughout the UK, resulting in the band climbing from the fourth section through to the first section and promotion to the championship section on multiple occasions. The band then went on to have further success under the baton of Simon Stonehouse and finally Paul Lovatt-Cooper before the current musical director, Mike Jones, accepted the position in 2023 after helping the band to achieve their best North West regional finals result in the past 25 years.
The band, now performing as Witton Albion Band, remains foremost an ensemble that enjoys entertaining audiences through concerts and community performances, and continues to be considered one of the most engaging bands in the North West region. In recent years its reputation has spread overseas and the band has completed tours of Malta, Belgium, the Netherlands and France. The band has also taken part in the European Blasmusikfestival in Schlema, Germany on numerous occasions, an event that has seen performances to audiences in excess of 4,000 people.
Witton Albion Band strive to be an entertaining, dynamic and versatile ensemble performing music from all genres.
The band would like to place on record its heartfelt thanks to the Roberts family for their remarkable 45 years of kindness, generosity and unwavering support. Their sponsorship and friendship provided stability for the band for nearly half a century and enabled it to dedicate much of its time to charity and community concerts and events. Over the years the band has raised thousands of pounds for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, the Royal Air Force Association, the Royal British Legion, the Neuromuscular Centre and St. Luke's Hospice.
