Anonymous £350k donation saves brass band’s treasured home

Now, though, in an astonishing and heart warming act of kindness that could come straight from favourite Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, St David’s Brass Band is reeling after anonymous donations totalling £350,000 suddenly popped into their bank account.

The donations have helped the Midlothian band to buy the almost derelict village hall which had been their home for 14 years, and plan a string of improvements that will nurture it back to being the beating heart of the former mining community.

The donations, which arrived out of the blue in three lump sums, took the band’s members by surprise and left them scratching their heads trying to figure out who might be behind such a generous gift.

“We couldn’t believe it - it is just wonderful,” said Fiona Dickson, who plays cornet with the band and whose trumpet-playing husband, John, founded it and is now its conductor and brass teacher.

“We can only suppose it’s someone who enjoys brass band music or someone who could see what we wanted to do with the hall, which is get it back into use and for the community.

“When all this money came through, I honestly thought our band’s treasurer was pulling my leg.

“I thought it was some kind of scam. But it turned out to be completely bona fide.”

The hall has required extensive repairs (Image: Contributed)

The brass band, which originated from a school band launched by Mr Dickson when he taught at St. David’s High School in Dalkeith, had leased Vogrie Hall in Gorebridge from Midlothian Council as a base for its practice sessions and to keep their bulky equipment.

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When it became obvious it needed major repairs, the band attempted to take over the hall through a community asset transfer. The deal, which would have seen the band take on the building for £1,000, was almost set to go ahead when it suddenly fell through.

Determined that the former miners’ welfare hall shouldn’t fall into such a state that it might be lost forever, the band resolved to raise £100,000 to buy it from the council and then fundraise to carry out extensive repairs.

It was then that the first anonymous donation of £200,000 arrived.

“We have no idea who was behind it,” Fiona added. “It was wonderful and a huge relief because it meant we could buy the hall.”

The next donation, of £100,000, arrived a few months later, after the band discovered the scale of repair work needed to get the building back in shape.

The latest donation, of £50,000, popped into their bank account just a few weeks ago.

It's not known if the surprise donations have come from a single person, or if they have come from different sources.

However, they have enabled the band to apply for funds from other sources – boosting their repair fund pot by a further £238,000.

Of that, £127,000 alone has come from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund, while grants have been awarded from other bodies including People’s Postcode Trust, National Lottery and Foundation Scotland.

Although it looks plain and basic from the outside, the village hall has been at the heart of Gorebridge life since the days when it was a miners’ community.

St David's Brass Band founder, John Dickson, centre with sons Stuart and Michael, wife Fiona and grandchildren Mila and Bailey (Image: Contributed)

Down the years it has been a venue for everything from cycle proficiency skills tests where children earned their Tufty Club badges, to Girls’ Guides and Brownies, children’s parties, puppy training classes, judo groups and old folk’s gatherings.

The sprung floor in its main hall has been put to use by countless dances and get-togethers.

The brass band, which evolved from the school band into a senior band competing at Scottish Championship level and a youth band, used it as their base until two years ago when the local council declared it unsafe.

It was only after buying the hall from the council that the full extent and potential costs of its repairs became clearer, including costly dry rot and asbestos, leaving the band with a massive fundraising effort.

Work has started to repair Vogrie hall after three anonymous donations (Image: Contributed)

Now, however, work has been able to start on repairing holes in the roof and dampness, while the band members’ hopes that the hall can become a proper community hub and ‘expressive arts centre’ are now set to go ahead.

Their plans include building an extension and carrying out a full refurbishment of the hall including disabled facilities and an access ramp.

While it has also helped secure the future of the band, which now includes children of its original members and three generations of the Dickson family: along with Fiona and husband John, are their sons Michael, who is Principal Euphonium, and Stuart, Principal Cornet, and grandchildren Mila, 11 and Bailey, aged eight.

“We have been working between two different halls since we had to move out two years ago,” added Fiona, whose father, was Donald MacPherson, often referred to as the greatest piper of the 20th century.

“It’s not easy when you have to take music, instruments, drums from one place to another. So we are incredibly happy that we have now got something to look forward to.”

Ellen Scott, Chair of Gorebridge Community Cares said: “Vogrie Hall holds many fond memories for local folk. There was great sadness as it fell into disrepair and a feeling of bygone days lost. An ex-mining community like Gorebridge was the perfect place for the St David’s Brass Band to set up home, after many years of an uncertain base.

“I am sure the Community will be very pleased that this iconic building has been saved from the demolisher’s wrecking ball and that young and old will be able to learn and play music for many years to come in a lovely fit for purpose building”.