Treherbert Band blowing strong at HQ
Treherbert Band stalwart Brian Pritchard doesn’t blow his own trumpet; he plays the cornet!
But he’s more than happy to trumpet the help his band has received from the Welsh Assembly Government.
“I cannot praise the Welsh Assembly Government enough,” Mr Pritchard said as he surveyed the refurbished Band Room in Upper Taff Street.
“The cash they provided has done us proud in improving the Band Room and giving the whole community a facility everyone can use with pride.”
The Rhondda Valley band’s improvement project was made possible thanks to a £37,380 grant from CFAP – the Welsh Assembly Government’s Community Facilities and Activities Programme.
“We have had money from other sources as well, but the Welsh Assembly Government’s grant tipped the balance to make the project work,” said Mr Pritchard.
“The work was long overdue as the Band Room was 30 years old and in a poor state of repair. The building didn’t have a disabled toilet or disabled access.
“The change in the building today has been great. We put in new roofing and guttering, new windows and doors, we rewired and put central heating and a new floor in. We also carried out a lot of decoration work.
“It’s now an ideal Band Room for members of the band. And we are able to open up the room for other community organisations to use the facility.”
Mr Pritchard has been a member of the band for the last 28 years, having been introduced to music by his two daughters, who were band members.
“Music is a wonderful thing,” said Mr Pritchard. “The valleys have a great tradition of male voice choirs and brass bands. They are wonderful things and the power of choirs and bands to develop community spirit should never be underestimated.
“The Treherbert Band has a history going back over 100 years. The old Band Room used to be a corrugated iron shed which was known locally as the Cymru Club.
“I think it was built by American servicemen during the war – and it looked like it, too. In 1989, we replaced the corrugated iron structure with a proper Band Room. But we’d reached the stage over the last few years when that Band Room was overdue for repair.”
Mr Pritchard added: “Now that the work has been completed we can make sure the hall is used for much more than just band rehearsals.
“We have bingo here, coffee mornings, a meeting of a group called ‘The Jolly Girls’, various committees, and we’ve even had a funeral service here.
“Down the road we have the Parc and Dare Theatre and when the competitions are on, bands can come here to rehearse in comfort. They are all very envious of our facility. It is a great facility and one which we hope will be used to the full by the local community.”
Mr Pritchard said he hoped the revamp of the Band Room would boost recruitment for the band.
“We have all the facilities here and people do not need to worry about buying an instrument. We have all the kit we would possibly want and we can help someone get started on the instrument of their choice.
“Playing music is such a joy and the fellowship you get from playing together in a band is great. So my message to the people of Treherbert is, don’t be shy; come along to our rehearsals on Monday and Thursday!”
CFAP - The Community Facilities and Activities Programme is a grant scheme operated by the Welsh Assembly Government to help community or voluntary organisations provide facilities or carry out activities which will promote the regeneration of communities. Since its launch in 2002 CFAP has proved to be a highly successful grant programme. A total of £64 million has been awarded to 660 projects across the length and breadth of Wales.
Projects have included the refurbishment of church and village halls, work to make community properties accessible to the disabled, buying part of a former airfield for community use and restoring historic buildings for community use.
The CFAP is run from The Welsh Assembly Government’s Merthyr Tydfil office - Communities Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP), Communities Directorate, Welsh Assembly Government, Merthyr Tydfil Office, Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ.
Blowing his cornet: Treherbert Band chairman Brian Pritchard starts rehearsals in the revamped Band Room in Upper Taff Street.
Press release issued by Robert Lloyd on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
But he’s more than happy to trumpet the help his band has received from the Welsh Assembly Government.
“I cannot praise the Welsh Assembly Government enough,” Mr Pritchard said as he surveyed the refurbished Band Room in Upper Taff Street.
“The cash they provided has done us proud in improving the Band Room and giving the whole community a facility everyone can use with pride.”
The Rhondda Valley band’s improvement project was made possible thanks to a £37,380 grant from CFAP – the Welsh Assembly Government’s Community Facilities and Activities Programme.
“We have had money from other sources as well, but the Welsh Assembly Government’s grant tipped the balance to make the project work,” said Mr Pritchard.
“The work was long overdue as the Band Room was 30 years old and in a poor state of repair. The building didn’t have a disabled toilet or disabled access.
“The change in the building today has been great. We put in new roofing and guttering, new windows and doors, we rewired and put central heating and a new floor in. We also carried out a lot of decoration work.
“It’s now an ideal Band Room for members of the band. And we are able to open up the room for other community organisations to use the facility.”
Mr Pritchard has been a member of the band for the last 28 years, having been introduced to music by his two daughters, who were band members.
“Music is a wonderful thing,” said Mr Pritchard. “The valleys have a great tradition of male voice choirs and brass bands. They are wonderful things and the power of choirs and bands to develop community spirit should never be underestimated.
“The Treherbert Band has a history going back over 100 years. The old Band Room used to be a corrugated iron shed which was known locally as the Cymru Club.
“I think it was built by American servicemen during the war – and it looked like it, too. In 1989, we replaced the corrugated iron structure with a proper Band Room. But we’d reached the stage over the last few years when that Band Room was overdue for repair.”
Mr Pritchard added: “Now that the work has been completed we can make sure the hall is used for much more than just band rehearsals.
“We have bingo here, coffee mornings, a meeting of a group called ‘The Jolly Girls’, various committees, and we’ve even had a funeral service here.
“Down the road we have the Parc and Dare Theatre and when the competitions are on, bands can come here to rehearse in comfort. They are all very envious of our facility. It is a great facility and one which we hope will be used to the full by the local community.”
Mr Pritchard said he hoped the revamp of the Band Room would boost recruitment for the band.
“We have all the facilities here and people do not need to worry about buying an instrument. We have all the kit we would possibly want and we can help someone get started on the instrument of their choice.
“Playing music is such a joy and the fellowship you get from playing together in a band is great. So my message to the people of Treherbert is, don’t be shy; come along to our rehearsals on Monday and Thursday!”
CFAP - The Community Facilities and Activities Programme is a grant scheme operated by the Welsh Assembly Government to help community or voluntary organisations provide facilities or carry out activities which will promote the regeneration of communities. Since its launch in 2002 CFAP has proved to be a highly successful grant programme. A total of £64 million has been awarded to 660 projects across the length and breadth of Wales.
Projects have included the refurbishment of church and village halls, work to make community properties accessible to the disabled, buying part of a former airfield for community use and restoring historic buildings for community use.
The CFAP is run from The Welsh Assembly Government’s Merthyr Tydfil office - Communities Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP), Communities Directorate, Welsh Assembly Government, Merthyr Tydfil Office, Rhydycar, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 1UZ.
Blowing his cornet: Treherbert Band chairman Brian Pritchard starts rehearsals in the revamped Band Room in Upper Taff Street.
Press release issued by Robert Lloyd on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
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