The Brass Bands of Marple will officially open their new band room on May 18th in Marple Memorial Park, with a joint Gala Concert featuring The Marple Band and Hawk Green Band.
For over a century, the Brass Bands of Marple have played a big role in the community, yet never had their own rehearsal facility. In an ambitious attempt to provide such a facility, the Charles Ingham Band Room Fund was formed in honour of Charlie Ingham who was a passionate supporter of Marple’s bands.
Charlie died in 1985 after a lifetime’s devotion to Marple’s bands. It was Charlie’s dream that the bands would one day have their own home. Charlie’s dream has now become reality and will be celebrated with an opening Gala concert and ceremony on Sunday 18th May.
Opening Day Itinerary
2:00pm – Marple and Hawk Green Bands perform rousing celebratory music
3:00pm – Welcome – Cllr. Susan Ingham
3:10pm – The Mayor of Stockport, Cllr. Chris Murphy, and Sir Andrew Stunell MP cut the ribbon and officially open the Charles Ingham Band Room.
3:30pm – The Marple Band and Hawk Green Band play a selection of Brass Band favourites.
4:30pm – Close
Make a day of it and bring along a picnic, a rug, a cushion or a garden chair. We hope to see many supporters of both bands and all members of the public on the historic opening day. Please come down and support your local community bands.
Historic Building Saved
The new band room is the converted Park Keeper’s Cottage in Marple Memorial Park. Instead of slowly becoming more and more derelict, this unusual building has now been extended and will be put to use as a vibrant music centre for both bands, with the hope that tuition of new young players will follow, and it is intended we will restart our “junior” band which will be open to all “young” beginners aged from 8 to 80.
Charlie’s dream has now become a reality. With the culmination of decades of hard work and a huge task of fund-raising, the new band room is in the final stages of completion. Working parties from both bands have made a final push to decorate the new extension of the rehearsal room and, soon, we will be holding a fun open rehearsal for all members of Marple and Hawk Green Bands to try out the band room.
Rehearsal Area
