News

Durham Miners' Gala

RIP brother miners, brother bandsmen and men of Easington

Touching words below from JPW Mallalieu who witnessed the band playing Gresford at the Gala just weeks after the disaster of 1951

“Suddenly there was silence. The colours danced, but everything else was still. For the banner we now saw was draped in black…”

Easington Lodge at the Durham Miners' Gala, just weeks after the Easington Colliery Disaster. An explosion at the pit claimed the lives of 83 men on this day in 1951.

The Labour MP JPW Mallalieu wrote a moving account of what he saw at that year’s Gala.

“Through the silence the Easington Band began to play Gresford, the tune which a miner himself had written in sorrow for the great Gresford disaster. When the tune came to an end there was again stillness and silence until Old Elvet gently relaxed his hold and there was space to move. With the first movement the great crowd set up a storm of cheering that could be heard in Paradise, dancers cavorted again and the sunshine wiped away all thought of tears. Miners rub shoulders with death. They know how to face death. Last Saturday I saw, too, that they will not let death spoil life." ... See more

The band are really pleased with 7th place out of 20 bands in the Senior Trophy today at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool

Well done everyone. Improving all the time

Good morning Blackpool
We are here to perform at the Spring Festival competing in the Senior Trophy playing Gilbert Vinter's Triumphant Rhapsody
It is also the first major contest with Easington for our conductor Jonathan Fenwick
We wish him all the best today ... See more

How you can help Easington Colliery Band save their historic headquarters

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/people/how-you-can-help-easington-colliery-band-save-their-historic-headquarters-1-9760990

An historic brass band who keep the region’s rich industrial heritage alive through music are appealing for the public’s help to continue.

Click here to support Old Pay Office Refurbishment for the Community organized by Jonathan Collins

This year we are 104 years old and since the pit closed in 1993 we have been financially self supporting and have managed to continue surviving where unfortunately dozens of other colliery bands have not.

We have our headquarters and rehearsal room in the old colliery pay office, the last remaining building left of the pit at the bottom of Ashton Street, opposite the disaster memorial garden.
Did you know 83 men were killed down the mine in the explosion of 1951 and the band played at every funeral of each of the men who tragically lost their lives, which included 2 players from the band?

We believe the building is also over 100 years old and is now showing signs of it's age and needs renovating to bring it up to modern standards and ensure it's survival for the next 100 years.

We are starting up a junior band where people can join in and learn how to play brass instruments and learn new skills.

We would also like to open it up to the community on days when it is not being used by the band. Our plan is to open it up for use by community groups and organisations looking for somewhere to meet and hold events, we also want to open up a cafe to serve the people of Easington and the many visitors to the nature reserve and coastal path.

We are currently applying for grants to enable us to carry out the work which is expected to cost over £200,000.
We also have to raise our own funding to form part of the cost and so we have set up a crowd funding page on the internet.
If you feel you would like to donate then click the link below and also share it around as many friends and family as possible. We want to get our local community talking about this to raise awareness of our project.

https://www.gofundme.com/old-pay-office-easington

Please feel free to comment below on our project and express your interest in possibly using the building in the future after the work is complete.

Thanks ... See more

We are raising money to help fund refurbishment of our band headquarters building to make it a safe, welcoming environment for all. The building, which used to be the colliery pay office, is over 100 years old and is the last surviving evidence of the pit being there. The estimate for carrying o... ... See more

Results: 2019 North of England Regional Championships

We are absolutely thrilled with our 4th place at the North of England Championships.
Congratulations to East Yorkshire Motor Services Brass Band and The Reg Vardy Band for their qualification to the final at the Royal Albert Hall later in the year
Watch out next year though, we're coming to get you!! ... See more

East Yorkshire Motor Services, J36 Brass, North Skelton, Bearpark & Esh and Tewit Silver claim the honours in Durham