Formed originally in 1973 at the East Anglian School 'to give the partially sighted pupils of the school the opportunity to learn how to read music and play brass instruments within a group. At that time it was not easy to convince the leading lights within the school that their scheme would be worthwhile and plausible due to the wide spectrum of eyesight disabilities within each child ... The school’s closure in 1985 led to a few uncertain years as quite a few of the players were boarders at the school so subsequently had to leave the band to return to their homes all across the country ... In 1998 the band was fortunate enough to secure Lottery Funding which enabled a whole set of new instruments to be purchased ... The old instruments were passed over to local youngsters and the GYB Youth Band came into existence. Both bands have gone from strength to strength and through dedication, commitment and persistence of individuals and players'.