Backworth Colliery Brass Band

Backworth is a small village in North Tyneside, close to Whitley Bay and the A19 Corridor. Backworth Colliery Band was formed in 1886, and was part of the social element of the surrounding mine workings. The start of the band was funded in part by fundraising events such as concerts; the earliest dates to 1871. The band was originally a Wind Band (including instruments such as clarinets and flutes) but become wholly brass in the 1920s. The band was initially known as "Backworth Collieries Band". Between approximately 1950 and 1970 the band was know as as the "Backworth Collieries' Workmen's Prize Band". The band rehearsed originally in the Miner’s Welfare, then across the road to Backworth Club, which served to house the band for nearly 80 years until 2004. The membership of the band has been traditionally drawn from the mining community. However as the mine works diminished, the band’s membership has changed and the band now has a membership compromising of people from many walks of life. The senior band rehearses on Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings, and the junior band practice on Friday evenings during Term Time.