A MUSIC service that teaches children in Denbighshire and Wrexham is back up and running after a devasting flood.
North Wales Music Co-operative – which has branches in both counties – was up and running again just 28 days after a frozen pipe burst. This caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to instruments and equipment.
Prior to the flood, the building had benefited from a major makeover.
Heather Powell, Head of Service, said: "The water from the burst pipe cascaded through the ceiling and on to all the technology which was a shattering blow.
“There was a good few inches of water and it was pretty much the whole of the main room of the building as well as the new offices because it had been leaking over the weekend when nobody was here.
“The damage was all the more awful because we’d just got the office how we wanted it and the whole team were incredibly upset.
“It was hard to know where to start but everybody pulled together and the support we’ve had from our tutors, from cllr Mark Young, our chairman, the two local authorities that we work with, Denbighshire and Wrexham, and from neighbouring businesses has been just fantastic.”
The organisation is now back on track with its plans to expand the service.
Llyr Gruffydd, MS North Wales Senedd member, who paid a visit to the Denbighshire Music Co-operative site in Denbigh, said: “Music is in our DNA in Wales and it is extremely important for children because it opens up the imagination, it’s a door to all sorts of feelings and emotions and aspirations.
“My visit has been a real eye opener and I think this is so much more than I thought it would be because it’s not just a music service for schools but also a service which offers benefits in terms of wellbeing.
“There are thousands of children who benefit from this service and there would be a substantial void if it wasn’t available.
“As a governor who remembers when budgets were cut and suddenly schools themselves had to find people to come in and so on, that gap was filled by this group.
“The new Curriculum for Wales offers the use of different methods in order to teach, so this could be a key opportunity for music to reach audiences of children in a way that it hasn’t in the past.
“The co-operative is also making a very important contribution in the fact that it is providing a livelihood for the musicians."
Cllr Young said: “The amount of pupils accessing music because of the high quality lessons, is going up and every level of talent gets looked after. We don’t leave anyone behind – it’s totally inclusive.
“We’re reaching more and more pupils and I’m pretty sure more and more local authorities will take up the model and we’re here, willing and able to help with that and I’m very proud to be the chair.”
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