Stolen sousaphones and samba drums leave music group 'absolutely devastated'

An Edinburgh-based community music group is appealing for help after a van carrying their musical equipment was stolen.

Oi Musica said the white Ford Transit van, nicknamed "Big J", was stolen between Sunday evening and Monday morning, along with nearly all their samba drums, two sousaphones, and much more of the group's equipment and personal belongings.

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Oi Musica co-director Olivia Furness said: "I'm absolutely gutted, you know that sinking feeling that you get when you realise something like this has happened. I'm absolutely devastated."

She said the group, which specialises in large brass ensembles, street drumming and outdoor performance, was trying to keep going by using borrowed equipment.

Oi Musica was founded in 2011 and aims to use the music of street bands to bring people and communities together.

One of its main projects is Brass Blast, which is an award-winning project that offers accessible opportunities to learn an instrument and play in a band as part of an after-school programme.

Its aim is to increase the low number of disadvantaged young people taking up instruments in East Edinburgh.

The group had a range of events planned this week including the Brass Blast youth project and performances with primary school children in Greenock.

Furness said: " We are doing everything we can to keep our programme running, we didn't cancel Brass Blast on Tuesday.

"We managed to borrow drums from connections we have in the street band community.

"We're trying to keep our show on the road and keep our programme running despite this."

Furness said the response to the companies appeal for information on social media had been "incredible", with their Facebook post having almost 3,000 shares.

She called the support "really surprising and a little overwhelming".

The van was stolen from Westbank Street in the Portobello area of Edinburgh.

Furness said: "I don't think it was targeted for the contents, I think it's just quite a desirable van to steal."

"They're (the samba drums) not going to have a huge amount of value to a group of people that doesn't play those instruments, there is not a huge demand for them," she said.

Furness said the sousaphones, a large brass instrument like a tuba family which is designed to wrap around the player's body so it can be easily carried and played while marching, could have some value but they are really quite niche.

She hopes that the unique nature of the instruments will help them be spotted easier if they appear on musical instrument resale sites.