Arrow Valley Brass is currently seeking to help the Scout Group at a Gambian High School to establish a band. The contact comes about through a previous exchange between a different school, Armitage High School and North Bromsgrove High School in the 1990’s.

On a visit to Bromsgrove, the Deputy Head and Scoutmaster was brought to hear Arrow Valley play in Droitwich. He was very taken with the band and in speaking to Musical Director David Stanley , told him about the Scout Band at his school. They were obviously in need of help and over several years, Arrow Valley sent them instruments and drum skins and sticks etc. to try to support them.

The band was very touched when, later, a young man named Yahya Camara, still a pupil at the school, came on a visit and brought a present to the band of a Kora, a stringed instrument about the size of a cello. He arrived at an AVB rehearsal, in his scout uniform, and gave them the instrument, which can only have been brought such a long way with difficulty.

Yahya has now trained as a teacher and has started his career at Kaifa Basic Cycle School. The rest is fairly predictable!. He is trying to start a band and has enlisted AVB to help. The band has already sent money to buy what the school calls “pianos” but we would call tuned percussion and is now planning to raise more money to provide bugles and fifes as well as drums and other percussion.

Transport is obviously a problem and the band would be grateful for any help or advice with this project. We should like to hear from anyone who knows of any of required instruments which might be available.

The band will shortly be preparing for a very busy Christmas season, taking in several churches, their main Christmas Concert on December 13th. at Kingsley College Redditch and the very popular “Carols on the Green” at Inkberrow on Christmas Eve.

Carols On the Green donated half of the collection raised that night which gave us a staggering £400 to help us to supply instruments to the Ghana.  Many thanks to the kind people of Inkberrow for being so generous.