Find out about our Sponsors and how to help support the Band!
The Band is a registered Charity (No. SC032501) and as an amateur musical organisation, we rely totally on voluntary help, donations, income from engagements and concerts, players’ subscription and local authority grants to keep us going year on year.
That income allows us to operate – to play for our community and to help other charities in their own fundraising efforts (The Edinburgh Childrens Hospital Charity is typical – we help them to raise tens of thousands of pounds every Christmas).
It also helps us to maintain a training band so that young people and trainees can enjoy low cost music tuition and quality performance opportunities. These basics are increasingly vital, especially in today’s challenging financial climate.
Current Sponsors
We enjoy some help already – East Lothian Council, Prentice Coaches of Haddington and Cathcart Associates all very kindly support us throughout the musical year. In addition, we are fortunate to recieve sponsorship-in-kind from Castlepark Bowling Club and Prestonpans British Legion.
We’ve been around in one shape or other since the late 1800’s – with your help, we’ll survive another hundred years. What it costs to run the band
We’re faced every year with rent, rates, insurances, instrument repairs, equipment replacement, contest fees, travel costs, buying new music… the list is long, the costs are not insubstantial.
Some of our typical current costs are: -
We also try to bring in expertise from a top UK composer or conductor every year to help both the Training and Senior Band members become better musicians. For a weekend session, this typically costs in the region of £800
Past sources of funding
We have enjoyed grants from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Awards for All, Dalkeith Common Good Fund, East/MidLothian Leader matched funding and a grant from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust recently allowed us to buy a complete set on new symphonic timpani, replacing a 30 year old set. Some of these older instruments were still serviceable, and were donated by us to a local East Lothian school.
What we need right now
All of this is a sizeable list, but any kind of help is much appreciated.
Who’s pocket will you fill?
We are all amateur players; no-one gets any fee or honorarium. Everything we make is re-invested in the band and typically goes back into running costs. For bif items we look for grants, one-off donations, or simply try and save up, which can take years.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US
Personal support & donations This can be as simple as coming along and helping us to run fundraising events, or simply being a supporter at a contest. Any support through cash donations will also be very gratefully received, no matter how small the amount.
Business funding We do enjoy business funding from Prentice Coaches of Haddington – helping to keep some of our travel costs down. This needn’t be a huge investment from your business; we’d much rather we had a few business sponsors than one big one. Business funding needn’t be cash either – gifts that we can raffle are a typical example.
200 club Membership Taking personal donation that wee bit further – for £5/month (£60/year) you’ll not only be helping the band, you’ll be entered into a monthly draw with up to £500 available in prize money! Follow the link (here).
Corporate Funding Fund a one-off – a concert, a contest, a piece of equipment, or support us over a period of years with a regular annual income. We’d much rather see £2000 per year over 5 years than a big one-off sum. Again, this can be as little or as much as your company likes. What do you get back: Anyone providing support to the band will benefit in the following ways:
We’re going places, and we’d like to invite you to come along…..
If you would like to help support the Band through any form of sponsorship or related activity please E-mail the Band Secretary by clicking on this link Send eMail