Many communities remained intrinsically linked to their local industries (such as coal, cotton and ship building) during the interwar period – a legacy of the Industrial Revolution. Families, friends and working life were all interwoven. Businesses and their owners supported ‘worthwhile pastimes’ for their workers, including a ‘works’ brass band. Aside from the military, the largest sponsor of brass music was the coal industry, supporting over 530 bands; coal and banding are synonymous. The industry’s battle for survival led to repeated strike action during the interwar years but ultimately the flowing tide of deindustrialisation would have a devastating impact on their communities. The coal industry was a life force for many however some of the most established bands started to fall apart.