Help us to celebrate our band's Centenary

Aim: Ellington Colliery Band celebrates it's centenary in 2025. We want to make this memorable for the band and the wider community.

Ellington Colliery Band was formed in 1925 and we are celebrating our centenary in 2025. We are a thriving organisation comprising  of two ensembles: an established Ellington Colliery brass band and our 'Brass Roots' training group.  We want to make our centenary year a memorable one for our members but also the wider community. For example we are looking to commission a piece of music reflecting the heritage of our band using music from Northumberland, this piece will be premiered at a gala concert; we also want to place a commemorative plaque adjacent to the miners statue on the former colliery site and hold an event for the people of the village. We rehearse in the lovely market  town of Morpeth and will be holding a celebration in the town, which gives us so much support. These, and our other events, need funding so we are raising money which will allow us, and our wider community, to celebrate our centenary year.

The band was formed as Ellington and Lynemouth Colliery Band in 1925. It was originally a mixed instrument group but soon converted to all brass. During the early 50's the band saw a great deal of success, winning the National Brass Band Championships twice as well as many local  and regional competitions. However, during the late 1960's and early 1970's the band was in difficulties with only a handful of players. The Band  Secretary , John Brannan, helped by the horn player, Bobby Mead, started an ambitious youth training programme which rapidly saw the band back to full strength.

Our youth programme has never stopped, almost 60% of our main band have come through our training band and our Brass Roots band currently has 24 members. Some of our young people have left to go to university or pursue a career outside the North East of Englend but  they have taken with them a hobby that can make them friends. We have several members who now play for brass bands outside the area and some of our former members have made a career in music.

Here is a short video where our Repiano Cornet player talks a little about her journey so far.