Grimethorpe Colliery Set for Children’s Charity Concert

One of the world’s best-known brass bands is set to make its debut in an iconic North East venue to raise money for a regional children’s cancer charity.

The Grimethorpe Colliery Band will be playing at Durham Cathedral from 730pm on Saturday 14 April to raise money for the North of England Children’s Cancer Research Fund (NECCR).

The concert is being organised by Brass In Concert as a special extension of their annual two-day festival which sees bands from across the UK and overseas coming to the region to compete against each other every November, as well as a gala concert, a youth entertainment championship and a youth and education programme.
The main sponsor for the Cathedral concert is County Durham-headquartered property and energy firm, The Banks Group.

John Woods, chairman of Brass in Concert, told A4B: “The directors and trustees of Brass in Concert are delighted to be presenting the Grimethorpe Colliery Band in this charity concert at Durham Cathedral. We are grateful to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, as well as to our sponsors the Banks Group for their support, and hope that this inaugural concert will be a tremendous success that will help lead to our vision of promoting concerts of this calibre at iconic venues throughout the UK.”

Based at the Sir James Spence Institute for Child Health at the RVI in Newcastle, the NECCR has raised more than £30m since being set up in 1979 which has helped fund research that has established the North East as one of the world leaders in the research of childhood cancer.

Chris Peacock, chairman of the NECCR, told A4B: “We really appreciate the support of Brass in Concert, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and the Banks Group in raising vital funds for the NECCR. Every penny is integral in helping to improve the lives of children and young people. Treatment is much more advanced than it was 20 years ago and we need to keep going in this direction to hopefully find a cure once and for all.”

Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at The Banks Group, said: “Brass band music has a long-standing place at the centre of County Durham’s cultural heritage, and we’re very pleased to be helping to bring one of the very best bands to perform in our region. This is a terrific opportunity for local people to hear music of the highest quality played live in a unique venue, and to raise much-needed funds for a fantastic local charity at the same time.”

Tickets for the Grimethorpe Colliery Band charity concert at Durham Cathedral on 14 April can be purchased from the Gala Theatre box office on 03000 266 600 or via http://www.galadurham.co.uk