Thornbury Area Music Trust (TAMT) becomes fully-fledged charity at last (From Gazette Series)

Thornbury Area Music Trust (TAMT) becomes fully-fledged charity at last

2:00pm Friday 8th March 2013 in News By Marion Sauvebois

A YOUTH orchestra set up by a group of parents after breaking away from the district's music services has cleared its final hurdle by officially receiving charity status.

Thornbury Area Music Trust (TAMT) has become a fully-fledged charity six months after its launch.

The music centre was a success from the start with 90 students signed up to rehearsals. It now boasts 103 members.

Brendan Wilde, a TAMT trustee, told the Gazette: "This status will help the trust in its objective of providing group music making opportunities to the children and young people of Thornbury and surrounding areas."

The group applied in November 2012 and was approved by the Charity Commission just three months later.

"The process of achieving charity status was relatively easy," he added. "Having Trust status will help the trust with its fundraising. For example, one of the other Trustees works for Lloyds Banking Group, and is now able to apply to the LTSB Charitable Trust for up to £500 to assist with the costs of running the Trust."

TAMT was set up in response to South Gloucestershire Council’s decision to centralise all its groups and move Thornbury’s band from its base at Marlwood School in Alveston to Little Stoke Primary School.

The parents of the devastated players initially begged district bosses to keep the Marlwood group up and running. But when their pleas fell on deaf ears they opted to take the matter in their own hands and, with the support of the centre’s teachers, formed their own trust.

The brave move struck a chord with local businesses and organisations, which donated thousands of pounds to the group to get it off the ground including Magnox and the Quartet Foundation.

The new orchestra is now one of the largest in the region.

The trust has set out a list of objectives with the Charity Commission that it hopes to achieve in the future.

This includes promoting and encouraging excellence in youth music and broadening the range of vocal and instrumental music performed and taught at the centre.

To find out more about the music centre based at Marlwood School visit www.thornbury-music.org