Wales & West Housing make a difference to Southern XL marching band  

A South Wales marching jazz band, which provides musical training for young people and adults of all ages and backgrounds, says it’s looking forward to sounding “first-class” in the new season thanks to funding from Wales & West Housing. 

We provided sponsorship to the Maesteg-based Southern XL Jazz Band to buy five new marching drums to replace old equipment, which was being held together with tape. 

Southern XL is a marching band which gives children and adults, from all backgrounds, the chance to learn to play musical instruments and march.  

The band has been playing together for almost 20 years and has almost 50 members who meet every Sunday to practice. They put on displays locally, take part in competitions all over the UK and were runners up in the UK Championships 2023.  

A spokesperson for the band said: “The difference the new equipment has made to us is unmeasurable!” 

“We can now focus our efforts on fundraising, training, education and recruiting new members rather than holding our instruments together. This is vital to the future of our band.  The new instruments mean that ultimately the sound and music we produce will be of a first-class standard.”
Spokesperson for Southern XL 

We provided sponsorship as part of our Making A Difference fund, which works with its suppliers and contractors to give back to the local communities through supporting sports and community groups and local projects.