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Below is more information on the band's horn players.
Flugel Horn - Laura Hindley
Laura Hindley started playing at the age of 12 and that was the first connection with the band as Alan was Laura's brass teacher in school. Laura joined the  band after playing Flugel Horn in the South Glamorgan High Schools band for a few years. RAF St Athan Voluntary Band had been newly promoted to the 3rd Section and they needed a Flugel player for the Areas. Laura's tutor was the pricipal cornet at the time and suggested she came along for a blow - 15 years later she is still here! Laura has had a couple of breaks from the band, one to undertake a career in the Merchant Navy and a brief stint with Tredegar Town Band. Laura started on Flugel but has played in a number of different cornet seats and has even been known to play Tenor Horn when pushed.
Laura is currently sudying to be a Tax Inspector and is an ex-employee of RAF St Athan. She lives in St Athan with her husband, Lewis, who also plays in the band and her young son. When asked if she has any other hobbies she said 'time to have any would be nice!'
Laura enjoys the contesting part of playing with the band and the best thing that happened while in the band was the first year she joined. That year the band won nearly every contest they entered and the experience of winning the Eisteddfod that year against bands of a higher section was very memorable.
Solo Horn - Rachael Lewis
Rachael Lewi s joined the band in 2002 after her parents (Alan on Euphonium and Debbie on Percussion) decided to join and brought her along with them. Rachael lives in Barry with her parents after studying textiles at Swansea Institute. She began playing after being brought to rehearsals for the Vale of Glamorgan Band with her dad and before long there was a cornet in her hand. After a brief spell on Flugel Horn she settled onto Tenor Horn.
Rachael’s two best moments at RAF St Athan Voluntary Band have been recording the new RAF St Athan Voluntary Band at The Movies CD and also playing Highland Cathedral in a massed RAF Voluntary Band at Birmingham Symphony Hall with a 150 strong wind band, a 20 man pipe band, a team of 7 fanfare trumpets and the organ. Her most embarrassing day was when we were travelling to the Eisteddfod in North Wales and was ill before we even left the camp!
She says her perfect weekend would be dancing the night away at a club to drum and bass music then sleeping in late to avoid the hangover, order a pizza and spend the day watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer, topped off with a quick thrash on guitar hero – but hang on Rachael you didn’t leave any time for a band job!
1st Horn - Cameron Hughes
Cameron H ughes is our youngest player in the band aged 14, he attends Cowbridge Comprehensive School and also plays French Horn and Piano to Grade 7 standard. Cameron has played in RAF St Athan Voluntary Band for 2 years, however he was a member of the Youth Band prior to that so he has been a regular visitor to the bandroom for some time.
Cameron took up playing when he was 10 years old because it looked like fun and he actually wanted to play the trumpet, but there were none left so he tried a tenor horn and the rest is history. Cameron also plays French Horn in the Cardiff Youth Wind Band. His most embarrassing moment whilst playing in the band was dropping his mouthpiece during a concert! Although if you take a look at the band’s photo gallery page you’ll see that Cameron has quite fan club and through the band he has met Bryn Terfel as well as Nicole Cooke and held her gold medal!
Cameron enjoys the high profile work that the band does particularly the Millennium Stadium gigs because he gets to have his picture taken with famous people and also because Cameron is a keen Liverpool supporter and in his spare time he plays football and tennis. Watch out though, because has a secret weapon to help him with his scales – his pet snake Pepe!
2nd Horn - Chris Parks
 Chris is currently on his second tour of duty with the band having had a little break to study for his A Levels. He originally began playing aged 8, which was understandable given that Dad Andy was keen for him to play. He joined the band whilst still in Primary School and his legs didn't even reach the floor, ah bless. He then went on to have a very successful progression through the cornet section eventually getting to Bumper Up to his old Dad. Fancying a change, he then took up Flugel Horn and carved a successful career on that instrument too, his highlight playing Flugel was representing the band at Harrogate in the National Finals Second Section in 2005. His most embarassing moment was washing out his cornet just before a gig and swallowing a whole mouthful and instrument gunk, yuck!
Chris lives in St Athan with his parents after recently completing his degree in Criminology at Cardiff University. Eventually he hopes to go into the Metropolitan Police Force. Chris admitted that he missed playing and before he knew it, he was back in the bandroom "helping out" on Third Cornet for the Royal National Eisteddfod. He had such a great time that he was hooked back into the old game. Chris isn't one for a easy option however, and once again (fancying a change!) he took on a new challenge of a new instrument and quickly adapted to the Tenor Horn and has been an asset to the middle of the band ever since.
Chris is a keen biker, and loves track racing and well as riding on the road. His favourite holiday would be taking off with his girlfriend and Parents in their mobile home with the bikes in the trailer and heading for the open road...
2nd Horn - Rhiannon Miskin
Rhiannon is our newest member of the horn section and has come up through the ranks of our Youth Band section. Rhiannon is currently studying for her GCSEs as a pupil of St Richard Gwyn RC High School in Barry. Her favourite band engagements are the ones where we all get to socialise and let our hair down afterwards and she is proving to be the life of the party when it comes to celebrating contest results. Well who can blame her? Her first contest with the band was the National Eisteddfod where she was the band's lucky mascot as we won. Let's hope that Rhiannon continues to give the band extra luck in the future.
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