The Reg Vardy Band

The Reg Vardy Band is an ‘access to all’ community music organisation based in Stanley, County Durham, providing musical education and takes an active role in cultural events both locally and nationally. The Championship level band takes part in weekly rehearsals aswell as numerous high profile concerts, masterclasses, workshops, recordings and contests throughout the year, representing the North East and UK on numerous occasions. It provides instruments, and such necessary equipment as to facilitate the learning and playing of music and a secure learning environment for people to explore their creativity through music.

The Reg Vardy Band allows people to be part of the lifelong learning and enjoyment of music and brings together people from a community which ranks within the top 30% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). The band fosters pride in the community and has a positive impact on personal and social development, especially in young people.

The band’s current percussion instruments are falling in disrepair due to age and therefore effecting the quality of music that can be produced. This also effects the learning of the members as they cannot reach their full musical potential. A grant would be used to buy new hand percussion instruments, allowing present and future band members to benefit from being able to access high quality equipment which they would otherwise not have access to due to high cost price.

Direct beneficiaries will be current and future band members, with indirect beneficiaries being concert goes and members of the public.