Kingsbridge Silver Band was founded over 100 years ago in 1921 and has been playing ever since. This makes it one of the longest continuously-playing bands in the country: many bands had to stop during the wars and we weren’t (quite) stopped in our Centenary year by Covid-19. We are always looking for new members of any age or ability to keep this fine tradition going. We meet on Tuesday evenings in the band hut just to the left of Tesco in Kingsbridge. Please contact me if you would like to know more. There are lots of pictures of the band on Facebook.
The Silver Band has customarily done a number of carol engagements at Christmas, indoors as well as outdoors; for the glove hanging and floral dance during Kingsbridge Fair week in July; a summer open-air service at in the square outside Hope Cove Methodist Church; occasionally for Kingsbridge British Legion; in the bandstand at Kingsbridge (click to see some video); and at Kingsbridge’s Remembrance Sunday ceremony each November.
Covid-19 made it difficult for the band to play or even practise. Blowing brass instruments indoors, or outside in crowded venues, was not considered Covid-safe and, for instance, this prevented the band being able to play in crowded venues or indoors in pubs, as we have done so often in the past.
Nevertheless in its 2021 Centenary year the band nevertheless managed to play its traditional carols and Christmas music in the open air:
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- Saturday 4 December 2021: 1700hrs: Kingsbridge bandstand
- Saturday 11 December 2021: 1100hrs: Kingsbridge Fore Street
- Tuesday 14 December 2021: 1830hrs: Coronation Road, Salcombe
- Saturday 18 December 2021: 1100hrs: Kingsbridge Fore Street
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Alwyn has written a blog to mark the band’s centenary.
The good news for 2022 is that the Silver Band is continuing to play in the open air, as it did on Sea Sunday, 17 July, outside Hope Cove Methodist Chapel; and on Wednesday 20 July for the Glove Hanging and Floral Dance as part of Kingsbridge Fair Week.
Here is the band playing in the rain for the floral dance at Kingsbridge in July 2017 – as you can also see from this link to the Kingsbridge Gazette. And there’s another (exclusive!) video here.