New home for Cadishead Band
Cadishead Public Band hit a high note when it celebrated the opening of its newly refurbished home.
The band performed a special concert for more than 80 dignitaries and guests in a marquee on the car park of the new headquarters in Locklands Lane, Irlam.
Band president, Ian Stewart unveiled a commemorative plaque before afternoon tea was served and guests were entertained by the Media rock group, which had rehearsed at the bands facilities for the last 16 years.
The building, previously Irlam Community Centre, has been transformed by a comprehensive refurbishment programme that was overseen by the band’s building general manager David Dee. As a result, the band believe they now have one of the best musical rehearsal facilities in the North West.
The refurbishment programme was made possible thanks to a £55,000 loan by HDT. The work involved an extension to facilitate tutor rooms, extra storage space including racking, new lighting system, acoustic windows, shutters and curtains, fitted kitchen and acoustic wall panels. In addition, a commemorative garden will use two old timpani and a tuba as planters.
The band also received financial support from the Andrew Cooke Music Trust and to recognise this, the ‘Andrew Cooke Tutor Room’ was named in Andrew’s memory. A special acoustic panel incorporating a photograph of Andrew – who played tenor horn and cornet with the band before his untimely death – was unveiled by his family. They then presented the band with a collage of Andrew’s life.
Band members and their families rolled up their sleeves to do much of the work themselves, and also kept costs down by using local businesses where professional expertise was needed.
The band will be celebrating its 140th anniversary next year and members are very proud of their links with the local community that date back to 1877. To celebrate this historic association the band has named the building the Cadishead Public Band Community Hall.
The facilities are available to local organisations and community groups at reasonable rates designed to cover the running costs. This has already proved a hit locally with a variety of activities having taken place in the hall including a children’s pre-school music group, drum and brass tuition, community council
meetings, family celebrations, and the St John’s Friday Lunch Club. The building will also be used as a polling station for local and national elections.
The band’s building general manager David Dee commented: “The new band room is the culmination of a 10 year project to relocate the band, as our previous premises were no longer fit for purpose. We took the lease in March 2015 and now, with the refurbishment complete, we have a band room we can all be proud of.”
David added: “Thanks to the help and support of Hamilton Davies Trust we have achieved our objective in delivering a first class facility that can be used by the band and the community alike for many years to come.”
If you are interested in the hiring the facilities, please contact David on 07989 999341. For enquiries about services offered by the band please contact band secretary Tricia Wright on: [email protected]
The band will soon be preparing for its Christmas Extravaganza at the Irlam Catholic Club on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th December, with tickets on sale soon from band members or the ticket hotline, 07586 250802.
Posted on: 18th November 2016