The future of Easington Colliery Band has been secured by the completion of a £100,000 refurbishment of a former colliery building which now becomes its rehearsal home.

The project to completely redevelop the former Pay Office of the now demolished Easington Colliery took four years.

Boosted

It was boosted enormously when the north east area band was awarded the grant funding last October to refurbish what was the last remaining building of the pit complex and turn it into a multi-use community facility.

It now boasts an extended 60 square metre rehearsal room, storage rooms, two multi use meeting rooms, new toilets and a kitchen and café which is hoped to be opened up to the public as soon as COVID restrictions allow.

Help

Help to complete the project has come from a variety of sources such as the Durham Coast and Lowlands Rural Development Programme for England and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

The band has also thanked Durham County Council councillors David Boyes and Angela Surtees and Neil Benson, Ian Moran and Michael Watt, the owner of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.

This project will ensure our 105-year-old band will have a purpose made facility to take us into the next 100 years and provide the village with a much-needed community facility and meeting placeEasington Colliery Band

Ensure future

A spokesperson told 4BR: "The Pay Office was the last working building associated with the Durham coastal coalfield. The building was in a poor state and required financial assistance to prevent it falling into further disrepair.

This project will ensure our 105-year-old band will have a purpose made facility to take us into the next 100 years and provide the village with a much-needed community facility and meeting place."