Eastbourne Silver Band celebrates 75 years of music making

The Eastbourne Silver Band was founded in 1950 and, this year, celebrates its 75th year of making music in the town.

In those far-off days of 1950, the band consisted mainly of ex-service bandsmen and men from the town. Unlike today, ladies were not involved in the playing at that time.

Mr Gilbert Foyle of Foyles bookshops provided the finance to purchase a set of second-hand instruments for the band. Without his generosity the band might never have existed. As for uniform the band purchased used police uniforms and adapted them.

Many of the band’s early engagements in the town were held at the Redoubt bandstand and in Hampden Park, whilst the band travelled as far afield as Dorking and Tunbridge Wells for other engagements.

In recent years the band has appeared in a Tesco advert, the stage show Brassed Off, Television appearances, the intro of Britain’s Got Talent and, of course, the Annual Christmas Day bandstand concert.

A spokesperson for the band said that, in the 1960’s the band did a tour to the Benedictine in Fecamp and this idea was resurrected when, in recent years, they did a short tour of Belgium to promote the band and the town. For its 75 Anniversary the band will be doing a short tour in Germany at the end of May.

A fuller history of the band is available in a book published by the band and is available at any of its public concerts.

For further details of the band and its forthcoming activities go to its website eastbournesilverband.co.uk or look at its facebook page.