History of the Band

It all began in 1979....

In 1979 the then Chief Constable Browlow decided a band would be formed. Initially funds could only supply 12 instruments, and Derek Ashmoore was appointed musical director. The band consisted of Police Officers, Cadets and Special Constables and performed mainly at Police and Civic events. Early photographs show the band participating in events at the Central Methodist Hall, Victoria Street, Sheffield, Sheffield Lord mayors Parade and an event at Barnsley Civic Theatre, featuring a group called the “Barnsley bucket bashers”. In 1989 the band made its first foreign trio to Swabish Gmund, Aalen, West Germany as part of the Barnsley twin town scheme. Here we joined the Aalen Police Band at a variety of concert venues across the region. In 1990 our German friends’ visited South Yorkshire and the bands performed jointly in front of Her Majesty the Queen at the official opening of the Metrodome Centre. Since that time the band has made another return journey to Germany, and played at a variety of locations including the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, York Minster with the Normandy Veterans Parade, Clifton Cathedral, Bristol to name but a few prestigious locations. The band has played to virtually every member of the Royal Family, including a windswept performance of happy birthday to Prince Charles at Sheffield Airport. Loyd Grossman sampled the bands music during a live appearance and the band seems rarely out of the media spot light.