Elland Silver Band launch fundraising bid to buy former church in Stainland

The band has been looking to upgrade its current premises for more than a decade to offer its musicians improved facilities.

They run six bands with a membership of over 120 musicians for all ages and abilities and are one of the largest brass band organisations in the North of England, also providing outreach tuition to Old Earth and Crosslane Primary School.

The band’s music education programme for teaching music to all ages is held in huge regard, nurturing and developing hundreds of young musicians and fostering a passion for music making.

Their youth band have qualified for six consecutive European Youth Championships, finishing in the top three on five occasions, while their training band are currently National Youth Performance champions.

The former Sunday School offers the band the opportunity to relocate to new premises, providing accommodation for a rehearsal room, performance space, tuition rooms, music and instrument library, social area and parking and will support the bands ambitious future plans to offer additional masterclasses, solo competitions, graduate training programme and summer school, as well as hosting other musical groups.

The building also offers further opportunity to generate income by offering local community and musical groups the opportunity to hire the hall during the daytime and when not in use, run social activities and extend its range of musical activities.

The band has launched a public consultation over social media and says it has been overwhelmed by the positive response from other brass bands and from the local community.

You can have your say at https://forms.office.com/r/y1JNG2ASuj.

The band have also launched a Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/samantha-harrison-128 to support with crowd funding to cover the legal and professional fees for the application.

The band is also seeking help from a professional bid writer to prepare their submission for when the bidding window opens at the end of May.

If you would like to support with the project, then you can get in touch by emailing [email protected].