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 and superintendant in Wales. 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 NMYBB as a Tenor Horn player when the band toured the Channel Islands in 2000 and became part of the Chaplaincy Team in 2003.
After studying for a diploma in Theology, Music and Worship at the London School of Theology Nathan has gone on to complete his Local Preacher training and is currently at Wesley House, Cambridge training to become a Methodist minister (presbyter).
He is very thankful to the band for all the opportunities, encouragement and support that they have given to him, and always finds it a great privilege to share in the leading of worship when they are involved and to serve the members by being part of the Chaplaincy Team.
Nathan is married to Hannah who he met in the band. He enjoys playing the piano, cooking, visiting National Trust properties and walking in beautiful places.
Rebekah Mills Strawson was born and raised in Cumbria and is the longest serving member of the Tenor Horn section. As a player, she has enjoyed many band weekends and tours, most notably 3 visits to Sark, meeting John Wesley in Bristol and Potsdam and playing in Gwenap Pitt in Cornwall.
Joining the Chaplaincy team in 2011, Rebekah is happy to be concentrating on more creative aspects of worship, the prayer team and also keeping in touch with everyone and having a good natter in a coffee shop – I think in the trade they call this pastoral care!
Rebekah and Peter had a lively NMYBB wedding in 2011 and currently live in Huddersfield, West Yorks. She is a British Sign Language Interpreter and, in addition to her work for Bradford Social Services, has been pleased to have been involved with Music and the Deaf, interpreting Swallows and Amazons and other Musical Theatre Shows. She also enjoys interpreting for Christian Conferences.
When not working Rebekah enjoys spending time with her family in Barrow, playing the ukulele, knitting and getting away with Pete in their VW campervan.
