History Of Our Bandroom

A major milestone in the Band's development was to acquire a bandroom of its own. The band had always been on the lookout for a suitable place and in the late 1970s the opportunity arose. A Scout group in Dunstable was selling their 30' x 80' hut because the land they were on was being redeveloped.

The Band bought it at a knock down price of £50.00, plus a concert! That of course was the problem - it had to be dismantled and transported to a site on Stonards Hill playing fields which had been bequeathed to the Council for recreational use and where the band had negotiated a long-term lease.

28th May 1979

Work began on 28th May 1979 and the first rehearsal took place on 18th October 1982. During those three years over 12,000 man hours had gone into the rebuilding plus 12,000 3'' nails, 1900 tiles, 90 sheets of 8' x 4' plywood, 27 cubic metres of concrete, not to mention blood, sweat and tears. Over £7,000 extra had to be raised and was found largely from the Band's own resources but with some welcome financial help from outside.

The end result

The Band is very proud of their permanent home which has proved a major asset in the development of the Band.

See more pictures of the bandroom being built, from the laying of the foundations to the final nail in the roof here...