A long-awaited new canopy roof has been officially ‘opened’ at the Forest of Dean’s Scarr Bandstand watched by volunteers and representatives of the funding bodies which provided grant aid towards the costs of building the canopy who were invited as special guests to the ceremony.

The plaque recording the building of the canopy was unveiled by Sue Middleton, MBE Verderer, and former project manager of the Foresters’ Forest project. Substantial grant aid was awarded by Foresters’ Forest to clear and fence the Scarr arena to allow events to start in 2017.

Volunteers and guests at the Scarr Bandstand canopy's official opening
Volunteers and guests at the Scarr Bandstand canopy's official opening (Scarr Bandstand)

The ribbon was cut by Tamsin Sagar, Forestry England Community Ranger. In 2015, when Forestry England was considering demolishing the remains of the 1970’s bandstand, Tamsin was instrumental in engaging the local community in efforts to bring the bandstand into use once again.

In her speech Sue Middleton recalled first event held at Scarr in 2017 after the arena restoration ‘as being a most significant step, when people came, the sun shone and it was a wonderful celebration of the bandstand, with a band playing. However, the realisation came quickly that Brass Bands can’t play in the rain as the rain would damage their sheet music, so for Scarr Bandstand to be sustainable as a site for bands to use, it needed a permanent roof.

Consequently, some of the skills from the Friends of Scarr Bandstand committee (Alison Collison, Roger James and Keith Walker in particular) were harnessed into finding and delivering a new roof that would be weatherproof, fireproof, vandal proof and at an affordable cost. It is a true delight to see this new roof here now in all its splendour, after such a lot of hard work from so many different people.’

Photo 1 Scarr BS 26062026: “Flanking the commemorative plaque are left to right, Sue Middleton M.B.E, Roger James (Chair of Friends of Scarr Bandstand), Alison Collison (Secretary of Friends of Scarr Bandstand), and Tamsin Sagar
Flanking the commemorative plaque are left to right, Sue Middleton MBE, Roger James (Chair of Friends of Scarr Bandstand), Alison Collison (Secretary of Friends of Scarr Bandstand), and Tamsin Sagar (Scarr)

Sue also praised the efforts of the dedicated band of volunteers who work hard each season to ensure the events can go ahead, and thanked the Bandstand project partners, Forestry England and West Dean Parish Council, for their ongoing support.

Finally, thanks were given to the various bodies and individuals who provided funding for the building of the canopy. The funders included; Arts Council England, Forest of Dean District Council, West Dean Parish Council, Coleford Town Council, Newland Parish Council, Forest of Dean Lions Club, Royal Forest of Dean Rotary Club, Gloucestershire Masonic Charity Action, Gloucestershire Brass Band Association, Watts Trust Fund, and many generous private donations from individuals. Also not forgetting those who gave via the ‘Just Giving’ campaign and via the collections made at the bandstand during events.

After the opening ceremony, the Rising Stars event took place, featuring training bands from Lydney, Lydbrook, Ross and Kingsley Brass. It was Kingsley's first time at the Bandstand, with their youngest player being just 6 years old. There were 42 players in the Massed Bands finale, and it was a great concert from all four bands. The concert was sponsored by Forest of Dean Lions.

The remaining events at Scarr Bandstand during the summer season are detailed on the website: www.scarrbandstand.co.uk.