BBE Aids All With BandSafe

Friday 23rd June saw 12 Brass Bands attend the first BandSafe seminar. Generously hosted in Rochdale by the North West Area Brass Band Association a total of 20 people attended the evening. Following the launch of BandSafe at the BBE National Conference in December 2016, BBE’s BandSafe Coordinator, Heidi Bradley, led the participants in an evening of presentations and discussion. The aim of the session was to take a more in depth look at the four sections contained in the BandSafe online toolkit and have the opportunity to share good practise between bands as well as consider any actions Bands may wish to take to protect members and the integrity of the Band.

The reaction from those attending was very positive, with Shirley Woodward, General Secretary of the NWABBA, telling A4B: “The NWABBA are delighted at the success of the Seminar. An audience of 20 people, representing 12 of our member bands from all sections took part. It was very inspiring to take part in the discussion group. It was a pleasure to organise and take part in the event.”

In addition to providing guidance to bands on the BandSafe self-assessment toolkit, BBE were keen to gain some feedback from bands who had already registered and used the BandSafe toolkit and supporting resources. Heidi Bradley said, “The feedback we are gaining from bands is crucial in the continuous development of BandSafe, ensuring it is a dynamic tool that helps bands develop, we are keen to ensure that what we offer is fully supportive to volunteers running Brass Bands, assisting them to run the band more effectively as opposed to an added layer of work. The feedback gained from the session has already helped me make some tweaks to the site which will assist and support those volunteers”

Brass Bands England will continue to innovate and develop the programme in-line with the latest and up to date regulatory framework. We hope that BandSafe will become the definitive tool for the brass band community in relation to governance and safeguarding.

Brass Bands England will be making further announcements in relation to the BandSafe program including other opportunities for Bands to attend similar seminars in the near future.

For further information about BandSafe, or to register your band please go to http://www.brassbandsengland.co.uk/bandsafe/