The Wantage Silver Band is an amateur organisation, with more than 150 players, registered as a charity. We provide entertainment to local audiences through concerts and open-air events such as summer fetes, and compete in county and national/area contests. Occasionally we travel further afield for contests of particular interest, or for holidays combined with scheduled concert performances. We also support local Civic events and lead parades for organisations such as Scouts/Guides and the Royal British Legion, for example. On other occasions you may see us involved in carnival processions, while local Churches may call on us to provide accompaniment for hymn singing at special events. We are also available for engagement at private parties and weddings, for example.
The organisation is very active in providing musical training to the young population of the area (and to adult beginners too!), offering a worthwhile pastime, sometimes leading to a lifetime involvement with music. As new trainees grow in experience, they ensure the future life and resource of the entire Band. We also welcome new, experienced players as specific vacancies may arise, or to add to our overall strength.
The "A" Band now competes in the Championship Section of the London & Southern Counties Region, having won promotion from the 2nd to the 1st Section in 2003, and onwards to the Championship section in 2006. It also provides the higher quality entertainment, where required (see CD recording)
A "B" Band is also active on the contest scene, including the 4th Section of London &: Southern Counties Region, and together with a "Concert Band" and a Youth Band take full shares in undertaking various engagements.
Training Bands practice weekly and demonstrate their new-found skills in occasional concerts for parents and friends, as well as participating at our Annual Concert, sharing the programme with the other, established bands.
We also provide tuition for absolute beginners, young and old.
Wantage Silver Band is a member of the Oxford and District Brass Band Association, and takes an active part on the Association's Committee. Contact Martin Taylor for further information on this.
WSB started as a junior band in 1972 with a few second-hand instruments, following the demise of an earlier organisation. An old photograph, taken in March 1973, shows the growing number of youngsters, some still without instruments, outside Charlton Church Schoolroom (see a growing selection of old pictures at Gallery). Thankfully the band is now well supplied with good quality instruments, after obtaining a National Lottery award.
From 1978, WSB had use of the former kitchens of the Newbury Street C of E Primary School, in an arrangement with the Oxfordshire Education Authority. New ceiling, walls, floor, toilets, heating, lighting, kitchen and store-rooms were installed by the Band, to create the "Doug Brand Hall", named after our founder. It was a wrench to have to vacate it when the school was pulled down in 2001 to make way for a new building. We were then allowed use of the dining hall at Garston Lane school (former vacant premises, to which school activities were transferred), but no provision could be made for accommodating WSB when the school moved back to Newbury Street in mid 2003.
Since February 2003, the Band has been "homeless" and practices are currently split between Grove C. of E. School, East and West Challow Village Halls, Charlton Centre, Childrey Methodist Church and other local facilities (see Vacancies). Clearly, this is not ideal and our aim has been to find suitable premises to call our own.
After years of negotiation between WSB, Oxfordshire County, and Vale of the White Horse district authorities, the Band has been offered a 99-year lease on "Tugwell Field", to build a Band Hall together with football pitches and changing rooms for Wantage Concords junior football club (to be funded and built separately by them). The location is on the eastern edge of Wantage, alongside the A417 road, near the 'Lord Nelson' pub. The Plans were enthusiastically reviewed at the Vale Planning Meeting on 26th November, 2007 and official Approval was granted soon after.
The design shows an oak-framed barn-like structure; latest soundproofing techniques will be used.
Features of the Bandhall are to include:
o A Main Hall, to be a high barn-like structure, ideal for rehearsals and performances, with seating for approx 140, including a balcony.
o A Practice Hall on ground level, with a first storey above it, incorporating further practice rooms (not shown).
o Entrance hall, store rooms, office, toilets, kitchen, etc and car parking for 50 cars.
The facility will be large enough to be used by other Music and Arts Societies in addition to the band. While the band will use every part of the facility on Saturday mornings for Youth Band and training band practices, plus individual tuition, other practices on other days in the week are likely to use only part of the facilties.
The band understands the requirements of groups such as the Wantage Music Festival and Theatre Groups, who may wish to have exclusive use of all or part of the facility for occasional blocks of several days, and would endeavour to accommodate this. The band would still use the Civic Hall and the Parish Church for major concerts.
The Business plan shows that the Band will maintain and operate the hall without requiring any subsidy from the Community.
Now that approval to build has been granted, considerable funding is needed. The total cost is estimated at £750,000. For the last few years, WSB has held various fund-raising events to accumulate money in a "Building Fund" and we are grateful for some generous donations (up to £5,000) from local organisations, businesses and individuals. So far, we have raised £100,000 and While we hope to attract significant grants towards the eventual cost, we still need to gather more funds of our own, so further donations to our "Building Fund" will be most welcome.
Please contact us at