Band Chaplains
Stuart Roebuck was born in Huddersfield in Yorkshire on the same date (though not the same year!) as John Wesley. In his mid-thirties he went to Wesley College, Bristol to train to be a Methodist minister.
His first appointment after being ordained was to be minister of two Methodist Churches in Surrey, one of which was in the delightful village of Cranleigh. Among the many friends he and his wife Joan and their two children made in Cranleigh were Norman and Sandra Every and their children.
Stuart moved on from Cranleigh in 1982 to become Chaplain and Head of Religious Studies at a Methodist Boarding School in Suffolk. He encouraged Norman to Found the NMYBB in 1986 and gladly agreed to become its honorary chaplain.
Though he can’t play a note on a brass instrument, he and Joan have enjoyed making music with the Band ever since.
Dave Edmondson is the Cumbria Methodist District’s Training and Development Officer and a minister in the South West Cumbria circuit. In addition to being a Methodist minister, he has been a French teacher, has worked in residential establishments for young people and has spent many happy years as a social worker, specialising in fostering and adoption.
Dave loves mountains, enjoys ornithology and welcomes any chance to keep goal or play cricket. In his words: “Why God gave me such a passion for sport when I’m so awful at it is one of the great theological mysteries, but by the time I’m 90, I aim to be one of the top 10% of British players in my age group!”.
Dave joined the chaplaincy team in 2006 after the band’s tour to Cumbria.
Hi, I’m Robin Fox, and one of the recent additions to the band’s chaplaincy team. My great great grandfather founded the Irwell Springs band in the middle of the Nineteenth Century. Over the course of 150 years something has been confused in translation and I’ve ended up as an organist, but there is some brass band music in my blood, as well as a great love for music in general.
I’m a minister in Huyton, Liverpool, but from September 2007 I will be the superintendent minister of the Castleford Circuit, Leeds District. As well as music, my two other hobbies are running (I have now completed 14 Marathons) and escapology!
Robin joined the chaplaincy team in 2006 after meeting the band at its weekend in Huyton.
Nathan Falla was born and raised in Guernsey. He joined the NMYBB as a Tenor Horn player when the band toured the Channel Islands in 2000.
He is the Assistant Chaplain for the band, working alongside Stuart in helping out with the planning of epilogues, the preparation of the Prayer Diary as well as providing “on site” spiritual support.
Nathan studied for a diploma in Theology, Music and Worship at the London School of Theology and is married to Hannah, who he met in the band.
Rebekah Strawson was born and raised in Cumbria. She is a long standing member of the the band and plays in the Tenor Horn section.
Rebekah is a sign language interpretator and is married to Peter. They also met in the band.
