About us
The RAF Wyton Area Voluntary Band was originally formed in 1955 by Flight Sergeant John Gordon. In addition to volunteers from the Royal Air Force, the British Army and the Royal Navy, the Band has amongst its regular members, instrumentalists from the MoD Civil Service, and the local community, with every member giving up their own time to play in the Band.
The Band undertakes a wide variety of engagements every year, ranging from formal concerts to military parades. Concert venues have recently included St Paul's Cathedral, Peterborough Cathedral, IWM Duxford and St David's Hall in Cardiff. Five CDs have been recorded of which well over 1,000 copies have been sold. Money from the sales of the CD's is given to RAF Wyton Station Charities every year.
RAF Wyton Area Voluntary Band can provide a Concert Band, Military Marching Band, Big Band (Swing), Clarinet Group, Brass Quintet and a Fanfare Team.
Our home is at RAF Wyton, where we enjoy the full and enthusiastic support of the Station Commander, Wing Commander K C Slack MBE MRES MA RAF and his team.
Bandmaster Graham Sheldon
Graham Sheldon was born in London in 1960 and began playing the cornet at the age of 8 years in a local church band.
Graham joined the Army as a junior Musician in 1976, was trained at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, and went on to enjoy a very successful career as a musician in the Band of Her Majesty's Irish Guards, attaining the position of Band Sergeant Major before his retirement from the Army in the year 2000.
When Graham left the British Army, he worked for the Salvation Army as an administrator before taking up his appointment with the RAF Wyton Area Voluntary Band in April 2002.
Graham has always had a keen interest in local bands, both playing and conducting, and has achieved many contesting successes conducting brass bands. He was Bandmaster of the Essex Police Band for ten years and has had aa long association with Eynsford Concert Band. He has conducted on 8 CD's and at many prestigious venues including The Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Barbican and St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Graham also had the honour of leading the Massed Voluntary Bands at the RAF100 Parade in London on the 10th of July 2018.