Old bass drum gets a very public repair!

An old bass drum belonging to Dalkeith & Monktonhall Brass Band has been refurbished by experts on the BBC television programme The Repair Shop.

Band members discovered the drum, believed to be some 100 years old, while they were moving to new rehearsal premises in September 2021. The team felt it was worth trying to get it restored and decided to contact the BBC to see if it was something that would be suitable for the popular TV show. The repair was carried out during last summer.

“The drum was handed over to The Repair Shop specialists in February 2022 by band member Sally Chute, myself and my husband Jim who is band chairman,” explained Heather Henderson, Dalkeith & Monktonhall secretary.

Former Scottish Brass Band Association president and historian Alan McLaren assisted the programme with some of the band’s history, photos and other background information.

The Repair Shop production company, Ricochet, invited additional members of the band to attend and play at the reveal of the repaired instrument. “This wasn’t an easy task as the show’s filming locations are near Chichester in West Sussex!” added Heather.

You can see and hear about the bass drum’s history and repair when the programme is aired at 3.45pm on Thursday 12 January.