Staff and pupils connected with Tudhoe Grange School Bands are busily preparing for a very important anniversary and would welcome support from the local community
The Band is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary and is planning a special reunion when present and former members of the band can look back on the special history of the band. It is very rare for a school band to enjoy such continuity. There have been over five hundred pupils in the band over the last 25 years and the band is in the unique position of being led throughout the past twenty-five years by the same musical director, Mr Adrian Biddulph. and Bob Temple, who has taught at Tudhoe Grange for thirty years, has played in the band throughout that time. The staff have maintained contact with lots of former players, some as far afield as America, but would now like to invite as many members as possible to contact school and take part in our anniversary celebrations.

The band has represented County Durham on exchange visits throughout the world and has performed on national and local TV, including making a TV programme with Reg Vardy Band as part of the millennium celebrations.

We are now asking your readers to help us trace as many of our former players as possible so that we can meet together at Tudhoe Grange Lower School between 3.00pm – 9.00pm on Saturday 23rd June.

To mark this very special anniversary Tudhoe Grange School Bands have made a double CD commemorating their musical development from 1982-2006 tracks have been selected from all our earlier recordings as well as new tracks from our current members so that everyone who has been involved in a band recording is featured on the anniversary CD. There has been little in education that has remained constant in the past quarter of a century but those players who have been part of Tudhoe Grange School Bands all agree that their experience in the band has played a major part in their development as adult members of society and former pupils from all around the world have been in touch via the band’s website to say that they are looking forward to being involved in this special event. If you know any of our former members please let them know about this special event and ask them to contact us at school on 01388 816050 or via the school website tgsb.org.uk so that they can participate in our celebrations.