Craghead Band
"A British-style brass band based in Craghead near Stanley in County Durham. The band rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7.30, and Sunday morning at 10.30. The training band meets on Saturday mornings at 11. Anyone interested in playing, helping out or hiring the band should contact them through their website."
Records show that the history of the band can be traced back to 1905 with their first competition at Crystal Palace in 1932. The band began as Sacriston Town Band and became more dominant around the time of World War 2. The band was reformed in the late 1970s as the Sacriston Colliery Band.
This reformed band was conducted by Ken Wheatley (flugel player) who was a Pit Deputy at the colliery. The band won the 4th section North of England Championships in 1981 and two years later took the 3rd Section title in 1983. The band then competed in the 2nd Section until the mid 1990s. The band suffered a small decline after Wheatley left as conductor and did not compete again until the end of the 1990s.
Not a band to give up, the band continued in the 4th section in 200, conducted by Richie Wallace until 2003 when they were taken over by John Robson.
In 2006 the band received an invitation from the Craghead Development Trust to move to Craghead and take the name from the local colliery (which had closed in 1969). The original colliery band of the village had left in 1969 following a sponsorship deal with Ever Ready and later became the Reg Vardy Band. More information about them can be found on this website.
Brian Wright took over the band in 2010 until 2013 when Lee Morris took his place.