Brass band HQ flood 'devastating - manager

A flood at the headquarters of a well known West Yorkshire brass band has destroyed sheet music dating back 100 years, as well as damaging hardwood floors and musical equipment.

Marsden Silver Prize Band members discovered the flood, caused by a burst water pipe, at their Marsden Musical Institute base following their festive break.

The band has since relocated its instruments and is attempting to salvage the century-old sheet music following the flood, with mould also found to be creeping through the building's three storeys and paint peeling from its walls.

Band manager Kath Coton said she felt "helpless" seeing the damage: "I could not believe how much water there was in the building."

"It was like walking through puddles. It was pouring out of the ceiling and the light fittings," she recalled.

"We have a solid wood floor that is lifting. We used to have tea dances in there because it is a renowned sprung floor.

"It is irreplaceable. It probably will not be a sprung floor now."

Coton said precious sheet music owned by the band had "literally fallen apart" in her hands as a result of the flood.

"I just stood there and I did not actually know what to do," she said.

Coton, who said she had played cornet since she was nine years old, said the band meant an "awful lot to the community".

Set up in 1889, Marsden Musical Silver Prize Band was originally formed by workers from textile mills in the area.

Over almost 136 years, its members have performed at social events, competitions and carnivals.

It even managed to keep going during World War Two, when other brass bands across the country collapsed.

"A lot of people have had events in the club, we had our engagement party here, birthday parties, wedding receptions in the club," Coton said.

"It is really devastating. It is quite difficult to see the way out of it."

Coton said a fundraising appeal set up in the immediate aftermath of the flood had already reached almost half its target in just over a week.

"We are not a cash-rich organisation, brass bands are not. A lot of us live month to month to keep going," she said.

Meanwhile, neighbouring bands and community organisations had offered to help the band with storage and rehearsal space, she added.

"We have instruments drying out, then we can assess if there is any damage. We did not want to stop rehearsing."

Yorkshire brass band expert and broadcaster David Hoyle said the flood "could not have come at a worse time" as the band was due to begin rehearsing for the Yorkshire Area Championship taking place in six weeks time.

"I saw the pictures and thought, this is going to be a big problem," he said.

"But they will adapt quickly, because that is the type of people they are at Marsden.

"It is another tale in their history."

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