A POPULAR Southside youth band that provides children with low cost music tuition is facing closure later this year.
Hughie O Neill, the chairman of the Crumlin Community Band, said the scheme – which provides around 40 children with cheap music lessons – will have to close if the Dublin 12 Local Drugs Taskforce does not reverse a cut it made to its annual funding recently.
The band caters for children aged from six to 18 and practices and holds recitals at Moeran Hall in Walkinstown. Its young members also play at various functions and events in the community.
Mr O’Neill said the committee of the youth band learned last month that the annual allocation they will receive from the drugs taskforce this year had been reduced to
?¬3,500 – down from
?¬7,300 the previous year.
He explained that the main cost to the project is the
?¬22,000 the committee pays professional music tutors.
In total, he said the project costs about
?¬35,000 to run annually but some
?¬15,000 of this has traditionally been funded by various bodies, including the drugs taskforce and the City of Dublin Youth Services Board.
He pointed out that unpaid volunteers, many of whom are parents of the students, helped executive committee members to raise the additional
?¬20,000 through fundraising events.
In addition, Mr O’Neill said the band was of great benefit to the children who participate in it as it bolstered their self-esteem and helped them to avoid coming into contact with drugs.
“We deserve a lot more than we get,
? he said.
“As regards fundraising we have reached the capacity as to what people are prepared to give. We think we have enough funds to keep us going until September but we will have to close after that.
“We supply the instruments and the uniforms and all the materials. It is aimed at some young people from economically deprived backgrounds. Otherwise their parents would never be able to send their kids to music lessons.
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He added:
“The band takes the kids off the streets. It builds their self-esteem. It is low self-esteem that drives young people to drugs in the first place.
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Parents pay a weekly subscription of e10 but those who can’t afford to pay can attend for free.
Local Sinn Fein activist Ray McHugh has called on the drugs taskforce to reverse the cut.
“This cut in funding will kill them off,
? he stated.
“This is a great incentive for kids to get involved in music and if they are off the streets and making friends who are not on drugs then it is a very positive thing.
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Cllr Michael O’Sullivan (Lab), the chairman of the Dublin 12 Drugs Taskforce, said they had prioritised funding for frontline addiction and drug prevention services in the area as the Government had imposed a three per cent cut on its own funding for 2013.
“The D12 Local Drugs Task Force recognises the great work done by the Crumlin band over the years and was happy to support this work when there was money available to so do,
? he said.
“However, the task force has to ensure that in a time of declining budgets, frontline services for drug users in the Dublin 12 area are protected.
“Members of the task force, including local representatives, are keen to work with the Crumlin band to help them find other sources of funding to make up the shortfall.
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