Premier are pretty much the best brand for drums in my opinion but they're a bit hard to get hold of at the moment as the company's not doing so well and they're not being stocked very widely. Pearl are a close second. If you're looking to save money you can get single-snare drums which can be up to £200 cheaper than double-snares, but they won't sound as good - if you can afford it go for double snares. They hold their tuning better and make your rolls sound a lot smoother, and the sound is much more rounded. Get matching drums (ie all from within a single brand), this'll also make you sound more "together" as a band. Don't buy Stagg drums - they're very cheap but don't sound good, and no amount of tuning improves them. Trust me, I've tried.
Bass drums, you'll be fairly limited in choice but given the choice I'd go for one of the smaller diameter, wider drums - they're easier to carry, especially for cadets, and have a nicer thump. They also need lass dampening than the big, slim drums. It's personal choice though, and I know a lot of people will disagree. Make sure you get a good harness that matches the bass properly, go for a solid one if possible. It's well worth the extra money.
Premier do bell lyres too and they're about the best you can buy, but they're very expensive. Cheap bell lyres sound horrific, so a good middle ground is the Mayfield brand. They do three levels and the middle one (called "Star" i think) is a really good option.
(just saw you said not the bell lyres themselves, never mind).
For bell lyre sticks, Chalklin are my favourite brand. Good value and the sticks are really nice to use, not too flexible and they last forever. Don't get anything with a plastic handle as they're harder to control, wood all the way (although you'll want plastic heads to play bell lyres, not wooden ones).
Nottingham Drum Centre are ok but to be honest I think they overcharge for a lot of things, and you can do better. Corporate Stix (just google it) are excellent are really know their stuff, they stock all the straps/sticks/spare parts etc as well, and the guys who run it are ex-military band so are good for advice if you need it.
Hope that helps
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