THE grand opening of Swanage's renovated bandstand is set to take place next month.

Swanage Town Band will play at the occasion, which will mark the end of a huge effort from local campaigners to raise the funds needed. The opening ceremony is set for 12noon on Saturday, October 26, with the band striking up the first notes of a new era half an hour later.

Alan Houghton, founder of the Friends of Swanage Bandstand (FOSB), is looking forward to the official opening.

He said: "The bandstand is looking really good and causing lots of excitement and by the end of this week all the railings should be in place.

"The following week the gates will be fitted, leaving only the seating to settle once the council make a decision on preferred option."

The FOSB has been forced to cancel one scheduled opening concert, after minor delays with regard to the bandstand's new seating.

However, youngsters from the Ranger Dance School had been working so hard to meet that particular date, that they were set to press ahead with a performance to help raise funds by the Tourist Information Centre, Shore Road, Swanage, on Friday evening.

Work started on the bandstand earlier this year after months of wrangling and fundraising.

The overall costs of the project, met through a number of grants and donations to the FOSB, are likely to top £207,000.

The original Swanage Bandstand, manufactured by Walter Macfarlane & Co at the Saracen Foundry, Glasgow, was made of cast iron and installed in 1923.

In 2017 the town council announced the sunken bandstand may have to be filled in if no proposals for the site were forthcoming.

The roof of the Victorian structure had been declared unsound during refurbishment works in 2012, which had taken place to address significant storm damage it had suffered previously.

News caused public outcry locally, and after more than 200 people attended a crisis meeting, Mr Houghton established FOSB.