Grant hits a good note for Warminster
4:00pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Latest News
A Warminster community orchestra has benefited from a grant to help it buy new music and recruit players.
Warminster Philharmonic Orchestra, which has been running for nearly seven years, was granted £1,500 by the town’s Fudge Trust.
Part of the money was also granted to The Minster Musical Monsters, a music group for babies and pre-school children, to buy some new instruments.
Orchestra founder and conductor Amanda Williams said: “It really feels like a pat on the back when the orchestra is deemed a worthy community group to support.
“I have spent a great deal of time and energy organising the orchestra and am very proud of its achievements. For an outside body to acknowledge this is very flattering.
“We will be looking to buy some new music, including often-requested BBC Proms favourites, as well as putting together a recruitment drive to attract new members.
“The orchestra prides itself on not refusing any musician no matter how many of each instrument plays per section, but there is always a need for more string and brass musicians.”
The orchestra stages two concerts per year – a summer charity concert at the Minster Church and a sell-out Christmas concert held at Warminster Athenaeum.
Altogether the group has donated more than £5,000 to charities, including the former Beckford Care Centre, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and the Wessex MS Therapy Centre. It has also paid for equipment for Salisbury Maternity Hospital and supported the local Warminster and District Link Scheme.
Mrs Williams runs The Minster Musical Monsters with harpist Laura Keay.
The group, which meets at the Minster Church, is planning to add swanee whistles, kazoos and drums to its range of instruments, as well as a CD player to teach rhythms.
Mrs Williams said: “We are particularly looking forward to buying some woodblocks so the older children can play the ‘clip clops’ during our horsey songs.”
Recently the Fudge Trust has made grants for the refurbishment of the Athenaeum, building clubhouse facilities for Warminster Rugby Club and to the Christmas lights appeal, as well as to individuals for wheelchairs and stair lifts.
