Year: 2022

The Durham Miners Association Brass Band will launch their new CD at a free concert celebrating the music of the Miners’ Gala on Saturday 21 May. The project developed during lockdown. Ahead of the launch, flugelhorn player Philippa Smith shares the band’s story…

Bringing a musical soundscape of Durham Miners’ Gala to those near and far …

The initial concept of “The Big Meeting” CD came from the enjoyment and entertainment the Miners’ Gala brings to the thousands who flock the streets of Durham City on the second Saturday in July. Therefore, our next band project became the planning, recording and production of a CD filled with Miners’ Gala classics, immersing those from far and wide to enjoy the sounds of the iconic, heritage filled day.

With the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic locking down the UK in March 2020, plans for the CD initially halted. Although we were unable to rehearse or perform together for many months, we remained a strong support group for one another through regular Zoom quizzes and chats. During these virtual gatherings, it did not take long for the wheels to set in motion again as ideas for the CD became a new focus for the band.

Due to minimal fundraising opportunities in 2020, producing this CD would use a substantial amount of the band’s funds. However, with thanks to Crowdfunder’s free fundraising platform and the support of Brass Bands England #SaveOurBrassBands campaign, promotion online and through radio broadcasting, over £3000 towards our CD project was raised throughout 2020/2021 thanks to the generous donations of supporters.

Making music again

Lockdown restrictions began easing in England by spring/summer 2021, and the brass band movement was slowly reviving itself into a new ‘normality’. We were more than ready to get the next phase of the project started.

The band are always honoured to begin our gala day journey outside the gates of Redhills – The Pitman’s Parliament, and the next stage to bring the CD to life was no different. 

Marches, crowd favourites, hymns and reflective melodies filled the rafters of this historic and heritage filled building over two recording sessions in the summer and autumn of 2021.

With the disappointment of the cancellation of 150^th The Miner’s Gala for the second year running due to COVID-19 concerns, the brass sounds reverberating around Redhills during the recording, reminiscent of bands marching up Silver street and Saddlers street, or echoing through the nave and transepts of Durham Cathedral, were spine-chilling and evocative.

A community project

Our community, like many others, saw a rise in unemployment and a lack of available work during the pandemic, especially for those in the arts and entertainment sectors. The band always receive great support from the community, and we wanted to ‘give back’ and try to make a difference to some of our local entrepreneurs through this project. This was fulfilled by offering the opportunity for a local artist and poets to win the chance to be a part of the project. There was a tremendous response, with numerous pieces of artwork and poetry submitted. From this, an artist and three poets feature on the CD. Not only that, but a local sound technician and production company were selected to help us achieve the final product.

Enjoy the music

“The Big Meeting” is a CD full of carefully selected pieces, chosen to reflect the journey of the bands and crowds through Durham City at the Miners’ Gala. Start the journey at Redhills, then onto the city with rousing marches, entertain the crowds in Durham Market Place and at the County Hotel with good old sing-alongs, then remember those who worked and died in the mines in the reflective Miners Service in Durham Cathedral.

Thanks to the support of The Durham Miners’ Association and The Marras, the CD release will be celebrated on Saturday 21^st May 2022 at Elvet Methodist Church, Durham, with a free concert from the Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band.

Come along to the concert and enjoy an evening full of music and entertainment.

Your free tickets can be purchased here –  https://www.tickettailor.com/events/marras

Purchase a copy of the CD and immerse yourself in the sounds of The Big Meeting all year round.

For more information about the band or this project contact – contact@durhamminersband.co.uk

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The author, Philippa Smith, pictured marching with the band at the most recent Durham Miners Gala, on Saturday 13 July 2019.

A free concert will mark the release of a new album celebrating the music of the Durham Miners Gala.

The Durham Miners Association Brass Band will launch their new CD at the event at Elvet Methodist Church, Durham city, on Saturday 21 May.

The album titled ‘The Big Meeting’ is a collection of new recordings of Gala day favourites. The album was crowdfunded during lockdown and recorded at Redhills, Durham Miners Hall.

Organisers have recently confirmed that the Gala will return in 2022 after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The band will play a selection from the new album as part of the concert programme.

The concert is hosted by the Friends of Durham Miners Gala. Free tickets were allocated first to Marras – those who contribute to the funding of the Gala – and our now on public sale.

Band secretary Heather Ward said: “The Gala is the highlight of the year for brass bands and we sorely missed playing in Durham during the pandemic.

“The album was a way to bring the band together and give us focus and we are delighted that we’ll be able to share it with the public in Durham ahead of the return of the Gala in 2022.”

The album developed from a partnership between Crowdfunder and Brass to provide a free platform for brass bands to raise funds while they were unable to perform. The DMA band gives thanks to both organisations and to everyone who donated to the project.

The concert will take place at Elvet Methodist Church, Durham city on Saturday 21 May. Doors open at 7pm with the concert beginning at 7.30pm.

BOOK YOUR FREE PLACES HERE.

Visitors to this year’s Durham Miners’ Gala can now make the most of this year’s event with official camping in the city. 

Gala organisers are offering camping over two nights just a short walk from the festivities. Camping is on sale now here.

After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been confirmed that the Gala will return on Saturday 9 July 2022.

The introduction of affordable, high-quality accommodation in previous years proved a hit with festival goers. 

More than 200,000 people attended the 2019 Gala, and organisers are expecting an even bigger crowd to attend this year’s event, which has been dedicated to all the key workers who kept society functioning during the pandemic.

The campsite is in a quiet countryside setting at East Durham College’s Houghall Campus in Durham city. It includes free showers and toilet facilities, and on-site catering providing cooked breakfasts. New for 2022 is a communal marquee with a bar and live entertainment for guests only. Stewarding will be on site throughout the night to ensure a safe and secure stay.

Accommodation can be booked now for Friday 8 and/or Saturday 9 July 2022. Camper vans and caravans, as well as tents, are welcome, as are dogs on leads.

All proceeds will go to the Friends of Durham Miners Gala (FODMG), the not-for-profit organisation created to fund the event.

FODMG Chair Dave Anderson said: “We had excellent feedback from those who camped in previous years and are delighted that we are again able to offer visitors this affordable and high-quality option to stay and make the most of the wonderful Gala weekend. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to Durham in July.”

People can book now for an early bird price of just £15 per person per night for adults, £7.50 for under 16s, and free for under 5s. Prices will rise ahead of the Gala to a full price of £20 per person per night for adults, £10 for under 16s, while remaining free for under 5s.

Free cancellation with a full refund is available until Saturday 2 July – a week before the Big Meeting.

There is also a further 20 percent discount for ‘Marras’, those who support the Gala via subscription to FODMG.

BOOK CAMPING HERE.

For enquiries, email marras@durhamminersgala.org or call 0191 3868413

To support the Gala, and receive a 20 percent camping discount, join the Marras here.

The Durham Miners Gala will return this year, organisers have confirmed.

Hosted by the Durham Miners Association (DMA) since 1871, the Gala was cancelled for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The DMA has been working with the local authority, police and other partners to confirm arrangements for the safe return of the event, which is attended by more than 200,000 people from across the region and beyond. It now confirms that The Big Meeting, as it is popularly known, will return on Saturday 9 July 2022.

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The DMA announced last year that the returning Gala will be dedicated to key workers.

Carers and bus drivers, delivery workers and nurses, shop staff and teachers, everyone who has risked their lives to keep society functioning throughout the pandemic will be celebrated.

Between now and the Gala, the DMA will work with trades union branches across the country to bring people into Durham, and is calling on the public to gather in greater numbers than ever before in support of the country’s key workers. 

DMA Secretary Alan Mardghum said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm that the Gala will return in 2022. We know it has been sorely missed. For many it truly is the highlight of the year. The Gala has been at the heart of the cultural life of the people of the Durham coalfield area for more than 150 years.

“The Gala has also been a rallying point to fight for social justice throughout its long history. We dedicate this year’s Gala to the workers of this country. As the pandemic made so clear, it is they our society truly needs. Our key workers will be centre stage, and I urge everyone to join us in Durham in a massive demonstration of our support.”

Before the pandemic, only two world wars and two national strikes had stopped the Gala marching on.

In its the absence, new digital content including a live streamed event, brought the sights and sounds of the Gala to more than one million people online.  Last year, in the 150^th anniversary of the first event, more than a dozen communities across the region hosted ‘little big meetings’, bringing people together in the spirit of the Gala.

The streets of Durham will be packed again in July as people march colliery banners to sound of brass brand music.

Also returning is the hugely popular Miners Festival Service at Durham Cathedral which has been part of every Gala since 1897. The service, in celebration of Durham’s mining heritage and its communities of today, features brass band music and the blessing of new banners taking part in the Gala for the first time.

The costs of hosting the Gala rise every year, but organisers are facing a huge increase in 2022. Bumper crowds are expected, safety and stewarding costs are rising and inflation has hit infrastructure costs.

Everyone who values The Big Meeting is urged to chip in.

For more than a century, the Gala was funded by the working miners of the Durham coalfield. Following the closure of the collieries it is funded by donation and subscription through the Friends of Durham Miners Gala (FODMG).

Those who contribute are known as ‘Marras’, a Durham miners’ term for a friend who can be relied on in times of need.

FODMG chair Dave Anderson said: “The Gala is a unique and inspiring spectacle. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world and it happens in Durham.

“Whether you enjoy the sights and sounds and atmosphere of the Big Meeting, share its values of solidarity and community, or value the contribution it makes to the local economy, I urge you – please sign up, become a Marra, and help ensure this wonderful day continues to survive and thrive.”

To support the Gala, click here.