Memorial bandstand refurb begins

The bandstand suffered from wind and salt damage from the sea

Work has begun on refurbishing a bandstand in Kent which will host the 20th anniversary of the IRA bombing in which 11 Royal Marines musicians died.

It follows a year-long fundraising campaign by the people of Deal, who raised more than £20,000.

The memorial bandstand in Walmer Green commemorates the bombing at the town's School of Music barracks in 1989.

A memorial garden now stands on the site of the atrocity, which also left 21 Royal Marines seriously injured.

'Huge thud'

John Perkins, chairman of the Deal Memorial Bandstand Trust, still remembers how he had been getting out of his car when the bombers struck on 22 September 1989.

"We all heard a huge thud and it became clear something very serious had happened.

"It was so totally unexpected that musicians would be a target for the IRA at that time," he said.

A special concert at the bandstand to mark the 20th anniversary, which is expected to attract up to 10,000 people, is planned for the summer.