One year on from the launch of Making A Difference 4 Brass Bands (www.mad4bb.com) here’s some highlights on our progress so far:
Our network can now quickly reach over 3,000 Brass Banders and is growing every day
The MAD4BB network continues to grow and we can now communicate quickly with over 3,000 Brass Banders online. It provides a very effective way of getting your message out there fast. Here’s some examples of how we help you communicate:
- as the next featured band on our homepage (e.g. Chalgrove Band),
- as the next big annual event (e.g. Wychavon Festival of Brass),
- as an interesting Blog Post (e.g. Bandstand Marathon 2011).
- as the next promotional video (e.g. Lofthouse 2000 St James Park)
£5M funding and More MADness for Brass Bands….
This is the title of a FREE funding seminar we are offering to Brass Band Associations and Brass Band Festivals around the country. Our next outing is being hosted by North West Area Brass Band Association (open to NWABBA member bands only) on Sunday 18th September, click here for full details. Further opportunities to attend this seminar are coming up across the country all the time and are listed below:
- In January (date/time TBC) scaba, the banding Association of the south are looking to host the event
If you would like to see this seminar hosted by your local Brass Band Association or Festival then please ask them to get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
Mapping the world of Brass Bands
We’re mapping the world of Brass Bands, with over 300 bands already on the map and growing every day.
With www.mad4bb.com now regularly appearing on the first page of Google it will become the one stop shop for the public to find your Brass Band in the future. So if you want to attract new players, volunteers, audiences to your band then we recommend you click here for the UK Map, European Map, World Map and add your band today.
MAD4BB Roadshow – 24th/25th September & 8th October – click here for full details
The roadshow is your opportunity to meet with us face to face to see how we can help your band Make A Difference. We have divided our day into 30 minutes slots where you can have a one to one chat to see how we can help your band go MAD. If you’re at the National Finals in Cheltenham or the SCABA Autumn Contest in Folkestone then let us know and make sure you pop down to the BFBB/MAD4BB trade stand for a chat.
If you would like to see the MAD4BB Roadshow at your local Brass Festival then please ask them to get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
Save the date – Saturday 7th July 2012 will be the next “MAD for Brass Bands Day”
This year at least 225 bands performed at more than 160 venues across the country on the first MAD4BB Day 9th July 2011. We managed to get good publicity for bands in print, broadcast and online media as part of our National Publicity Campaign to attract more players, volunteers and audiences to Brass Band music making for the future. So save the date now and make MAD 4 Brass Bands Day part of your plans for 2012.
45 Funding schemes for Bands
Extra funding for bands is key to Making A Difference and we regularly sift through the 1,000s of funding schemes available to not for profit organisations throughout the UK. We only publish the most relevant schemes (in our opinion) on www.mad4bb.com for Brass Bands to consider making an application for grant assistance.
Here’s some of the most recent regional schemes added this month
Hampshire Arts Activity Grants for 2012 – to £5k
Manchester Airport Community Trust Fund – to £3k
Lincolnshire Community Activities Grant Aid – to £20k
The Hadfield Charitable Trust (Cumbria) – prefers to fund capital items
Please Click here for the full funding index on www.mad4bb.com.
Feedback and Comments
It is important to us that we add real value to the Brass Band sector for the future benefit of everyone involved so please feedback your comments on the Making A Difference programme and how you think we are doing, we would love to hear from you.
Terry Luddington
BFBB Liaison Officer
Mobile: 07803 147101
Skype: Terry.Luddington
Email: terry@bfbb.co.uk
Twitter: @tlmad4bb
Facebook: Terry Luddington
BFBB Website: www.bfbb.co.uk
Making A Difference Website: www.mad4bb.com