Building community

I was honoured to be part of one of the first bands to play on our new local bandstand on Sunday. This was a particularly special moment as the bandstand was the brain child of a close friend, as I had been part of the bandstand team in the early days, and as it had taken quite a while to overcome all the practical obstacles – and here it was, looking as if it had always been there.

The launch day featured two local bands and attracted an audience of 200 or so people, relaxing in the sunshine (and retreating to the shade) as first they were regaled by the massed brass of the Mole Valley Silver Band and then the swing numbers of the Leith Hill Big Band. I think it’s fair to say that the musicians in both bands loved the occasion as did the crowd.

What struck me about the day was that the bandstand team had not just built the bandstand but had been busy community building in the process. Music is a great means of bringing people together but there was more than that on Sunday. The bandstand is in the middle of the towns recreation ground and here was activity everywhere – a football tournament for youngsters in the local team’s stadium, a play area full of energetic little ones and chatting parents, older kids on the skateboard ramps, a game of football on the higher field, and a big top for the visiting circus with performers relaxing around it, taking a breath before the afternoon performance. As more people arrived, they bumped into friends, greetings were exchanged, introductions made, stories shared. The overall effect was of a town community comfortable with itself and happy to relax and enjoy the day together. Goodwill and community feeling which already existed but which was encouraged into the open on this sunny Sunday by the joy of the new bandstand – and the knowledge that every Sunday for the next 3 months there will be a band, or a choir, playing or singing on the stand, in the heart of the community. I’ll certainly be back, both as audience member and musician and. In the meantime, will remember that it is this togetherness which represents us and not the division which some are now preaching.

The Bandstand
picnic rugs and
camping chairs
adorn the grass
cries of recognition
as groups assemble
on the paths
familiar tunes
from local talent
start toes tapping
a sense of joy
celebration
that this is happening
this first day
a justification
of all the plans
marked by the presence
of this congregation
and two local bands