Brass band  ‘over the moon’ with tuba grant

Director of Music John Lyons (centre) with members of Swineshead Silver Band.

A look at the history section of the Swineshead Silver Band’s website tells you that the battle for new instruments is by no means a new one. Fundraising to buy its brass has been a constant feature of the meeting minutes since its formation in 1886.

The band, whose members are all local volunteers, approached the Triton Knoll Community Fund to replace its battered and out of date tubas.

With the resulting grant of £10,000, they were able to buy three new ones which bass trombonist and chair of the committee Dale Richards says ‘has transformed its sound’.

He said: “Our tubas were nearly 40 years old and very difficult to tune. Along with our own fundraising efforts we now have a full section of four new tubas and they sound and look magnificent.

“We were all over the moon with the grant and it’s made a tremendous impact with every band member benefiting from the improvement in sound.”

Dale, who plays in the 25-piece ensemble along with his dad, says the band has long been part of the fabric of the community. “We all work hard to keep the tradition alive and local organisations support us by booking us for all sorts of events whether that be a village fête or the bandstand in Skegness.”

They also play at the parish churches and local hospice, and like other brass bands around the country, try to stay relevant in order to appeal to new players and audiences.

“You’ll be just as likely to hear us play covers of pop songs as traditional marches,” adds Dale.

Meanwhile, along with the twice weekly rehearsals, the fundraising continues in earnest, with a set of tubular bells at the top of the musical director’s shopping list.