Brass Bands England's (BBE's) Fundraising Service has helped member band organisation Drum and Brass in Cumbria successfully secure Arts Council England funding for their new project.
'Brass at the Castle' has gained a grant of £18,963 to offer a day of music, community and shared heritage amid the spectacular surroundings of Lowther Castle in Penrith.
Great deal
Speaking about the great news, Julie Hoggarth of Drum and Brass said: "It's been a pleasure working with Beth Lambert, BBE's Fundraising Manager, on a project that means a great deal to bands in Cumbria.
She put her considerable expertise and passion into working in partnership with Drum and Brass, and the result speaks for itself."
National Brass Band Week
The event on Saturday 13th July, takes place during BBE's national Brass Band Week, which is open to all organisations across the UK to raise awareness of brass banding.
'Brass at the Castle' will also serve as a launchpad for the Cumbria Brass Network, which will aim to support, promote and elevate brass bands from across Cumbria, where rurality and distance is a particular challenge.
Bands and players will be able to join this free network to share ideas and resources.
Fantastic event
In response to the success BBE's Fundraising Manager, Beth Lambert, added: "I'm really pleased for Julie and the Brass at the Castle project team. I know they'll deliver a fantastic event.
Projects like this offer so many benefits to communities, particularly in terms of tackling the challenges posed by inclusivity, rurality and encouraging new players of all ages to pick up an instrument.
These are all things that funders want to see, so I really encourage bands to have the courage to ask for financial support. Please get in touch if you'd like to chat about bringing your project ideas to life."
Projects like this offer so many benefits to communities, particularly in terms of tackling the challenges posed by inclusivity, rurality and encouraging new players of all ages to pick up an instrumentBeth Lambert
Further information:
Bands who are interested in utilising the Fundraising Service, can find out more at: https://www.bbe.org.uk/fundraising-service
Brass at the Castle: https://drumandbrass.co.uk/brass-at-the-castle/
National Brass Band Week: https://www.bbe.org.uk/news25072023-0839/bbe-launches-national-brass-band-week
Cumbria Brass Network: https://drumandbrass.co.uk/db-in-cumbria/cumbria-brass/