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In the late Thirties, Slough Estates Ltd. conceived a forward looking project linking a variety of sporting, artistic and leisure pursuits based on a community centre. SEL built a large complex for the purpose on Farnham Road. In spite of the outbreak of World War Two, these activities were developed and enlarged. Between January 1942 and the end of the war, the chorus and orchestra which had been established had given over thirty concerts and a group of six local dramatic societies in continuous repertory had staged over one hundred plays.
The late Forties and early Fifties saw a pronounced decline in public interest in live entertainment as the influence of television increased and SPS came close to the brink of extinction when subsidies were cut drastically. Few people under the age of fifty will have any conception of the austerity conditions experienced in the UK right up to 1954 when rationing was finally abandoned. The Society managed to survive and from the middle Sixties onwards has given four or five concerts each year.
The National Federation of Music Societies now has some 1400 members but over half simply promote concerts. Of the remaining 700 outside universities, only thirty include both chorus and orchestra and, of those, SPS is ranked fifth largest.
The commercial pressures on professional orchestral management we hear about today are very much in evidence amongst amateur music bodies too. SPS is very fortunate to have received continuous financial support for over fifty years from Slough Estates Ltd. rivaling in time and in the amateur sphere the record of what Texaco Oil has done for the New York Metropolitan Opera. We are extremely grateful to them and to later arrivals on the scene: The Arts Council and to its associated organisations, Slough Borough Council, Mars Ltd. and NatWest Bank.
On 6th February 1999 the orchestra gave its first concert for twenty-two years in the totally rebuilt Centre in Farnham Road (A355), now owned and run by Slough Borough Council. Facilities for the public at this location are generally much better than anywhere else the Society has performed since the Thames Hall was demolished in 1985. It is no coincidence that our audiences fell by around 40% over two years once the Thames Hall closed and we are hoping that a customer friendly environment will encourage absentees to return.
Both from established visiting artists (who have no need to say it) and from many other sources, the Society has been the recipient of considerable praise for the quality of its performances. In spite of efforts to spread those comments within the constraints imposed by a limited budget, they remain one of the South East of England's best kept secrets. Please do what you can to put that right.
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