A Prestonpans brass band’s 100-year-old drum took a starring role on BBC show The Repair Shop this month.

Dalkeith and Monktonhall Brass Band, which is situated at the Red School in the town, featured on the show with a historic drum in desperate need of repair.

The drum was part of the equipment that was ‘pooled’ when the Dalkeith Burgh and Monktonhall Colliery Bands amalgamated in 1989.

The Dalkeith Band had no premises, so everything ‘came’ to Prestonpans – except the drum.

There was no space for the dilapidated antique drum, so then band treasurer Tommy Campbell, who was Beadle at St Mary’s Church in Dalkeith, decided to covertly store the drum under the altar in the church.

It remained there until Tommy passed away in 2011 and, a few weeks after that event, the church was keen for the drum to find its proper home.

It was taken to the old band room in the Coronation Garden in Prestonpans but there was still no room for it, and it was placed on the back of a shelf in the toilet until September 2021.

Jim Henderson, chairman of Dalkeith and Monktonhall Brass Band, explained to the Courier how the opportunity to appear on the show came about.

He said: “It all started when we were moving premises and came across this old drum – we thought it would be worth getting restored.”

Jim said that from there it grew “arms and legs” and, from tentative discussions with the BBC at first, they were soon appearing on the small screen.

Speaking of the experience of being on TV, Jim described it as “tremendous”, even though he had to keep much of the detail a secret from other band members.

He said: “It was tiring! They flew us down for the first part and did all the filming in one day!

“It was a great experience – it was tremendous. It was great to meet all the folk [behind the show] and they were all so open and welcoming.”

Jim stressed how thankful he was for what the show did for the drum and how important it was to save a vital part of the band’s heritage.

He said: “It was really important to us – to get something back that’s as big and beautiful as this.

“They have made an incredible job of restoring it.

“It’s a great focal point and will be great to get some publicity on the back of it.”

Jim also stressed how thankful he was to all who had wished the band well and showed an interest in it since the show aired.

He said: “We’ve been swamped with goodwill messages.”

The programme can be watched on BBC iPlayer.