Porthleven town band has launched a Crowdfunding campaign to get them to a national final after a ‘disastrous’ flood forced them out of their rehearsal rooms.
The flood happened at The Old Sunday School off Chapel Terrace last Sunday (June 25), home of the band.
The band had only recently bought and refurbished building as its permanent rehearsal space.
The band were forced to evacuate all their instruments from the rehearsal space downstairs after water poured from an upstairs bathroom down through the ceiling, the walls, through the electrics and flooded the carpet.
Volunteers rushed to help and managed to get all the equipment out within an hour. The band had recently refurbished and altered the space to be its permanent rehearsal space.
Posting on Facebook the group said: “Last Sunday we had a flood in our gorgeous Grade II listed band room.
“Just take a look at some of the damage as water poured from an upstairs bathroom down through the ceiling, the walls, through the electrics and flooded the carpet.”
They say they can’t access the band room temporarily but refuse to be daunted by this setback just a few weeks before the National Finals in Cheltenham.
In the meantime, The Hope Church in Thomas Street is kindly allowing the band to use their premises until they’re allowed back into their own space.
The flood comes just weeks before the Cheltenham National Finals to which the band have qualified.
To help support the journey to Cheltenham the band have launched a JustGiving page to help pay for contest expenses, not for the flood damage as they are fully insured.
In March, they travelled to Torquay to compete in the South West Brass Band Association Championships, playing Stephen Bulla's 'Chorale and Toccatta'.
They were announced as the winners of the Third Section against 15 other bands, in addition to being promoted to the Second Section.
This means they have been given the chance to compete in the National Championships of Great Britain in September, against the other winners of the section across England.
This means the band have a significant number of additional costs to enable us to take part in the Nationals.
They are estimating the total cost of the trip to be around £2,500 with the entrance fee alone costing £375. This does not include overnight accommodation, meals or individual personal expenses - player's will be self-funding these.
As a registered charity they rely heavily on donations, not just to go to contests each year but to exist and function as a musical enterprise.
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This contest is of particular importance as the band have only ever made it through to Nationals twice before and the band will take to the stage for the first time as a Second Section band next March.
You can support their journey to by going to the band's Just Giving page here
Despite the flood the band will be performing tonight (July 2) at 7.30pm at the Harbour Inn.
Porthleven Town Band began in 1866 and has been providing and teaching music to the community ever since.
From local traditions like playing outside the Harbour Inn each summer to contesting, the band has become a staple of the village it is proud to represent, in Cornwall and further afield.
The Old Sunday School off Chapel Terrace was built in 1841 and was previously a Methodist School Room, and before that a Wesleyan Chapel. In 2002 it was given permission to be converted into residential use and has been used as a holiday let ever since.
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