The Friends of Meltham and Meltham Mills Band was formed a number of years ago on the success of the Supporters Club which ran for many years. The Friends of Meltham and Meltham Mills Band continue to play a very important part in maintaining the band's future, especially as we now support three bands (main band, community band, and junior blast group). None of our three bands are sponsored and they work hard throughout the year at their own expense to raise the funds needed through playing in concerts, contests, as well as other fundraising activities. Thankfully the Meltham and Meltham Mills Band have also been kindly supported by specific grants/donations from organizations like Meltham Crossroads, Meltham Town Council, and other generous organizations over the years. Most recently these have gone to fantastic use and to the benefit of our brass roots project supporting the Community Band and the Junior Blast group.
Running a brass band is costly, with music costing upwards from £45 per piece, uniforms approaching £500 each, and instruments costing between £2,000 and £6,000 each (for the main band) - don't forget - there are 25 brass instruments in a band! and with three bands now is a very costly endeavor.
The financial support the Friends of Meltham and Meltham Mills Band provide assists in financial planning year to year sometimes for specific needs. These requests can range from general costs such as the cost of hiring coaches, or to hall costs for more prestigious concerts or for example, in 2010 the funds generated through The Friends of Meltham and Meltham Mills Band replaced one of the euphonium instruments at a cost of over £3000.
The Friends of Meltham and Meltham Mills Band are proud to support all the Meltham and Meltham Mills bands, particularly as from January 2024 the main band will be promoted to the 1st Section. Hopefully, you can also join us in that success by supporting us as a Friend of Meltham and Meltham Mills Band.
For a suggested minimum donation of £10 per year, you will receive the following -
- Annual newsletter with updates on what the three bands have been up to.
- Automatic entry into the Meltham & Meltham Mills Band annual Christmas prize draw, with cash prizes ranging from £50 to £200.
- You can pre-order your tickets so you don't miss out on seats.
