FERMANAGH-based Church Hill Silver Band has been awarded a grant from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland to purchase new instruments.

This funding is designed to help the band replace worn –out instruments and to purchase new ones.

The scheme was open to bands based in Northern Ireland which are constituted, including marching, accordion, brass, concert, flute, pipe and wind bands.

One of 69 awards

The funding towards new instruments for Church Hill Silver Band is one of 69 awards made by the Arts Council this month, worth a total investment of £494,000.

Thanks to capital investment from the Department for Communities, the scheme – that was set up to increase the quality of music making in Northern Ireland – offers grants to a range of professional and non-professional musicians and groups.

Those who will benefit include schools groups, community choirs, marching and brass bands, and individual professional musicians.