PP Editor’s Blog: Northern Meeting/BBC/ Letters etc

The Northern Meeting Clasp competition is a main feature today with a review of that event and of the successful two-day festival of piping held at Inverness. 


There was a lot of traffic last week about US piper Dan Lyden playing in torrential rain at Cowal, stoic to the last. But we over here have our own weather warrior too, in the shape of Gold Medallist Faye Henderson.

Alister Sinclair, Connor’s father, took this picture (above) at the B Grade March competition at Oban a couple of weeks ago. Like Dan,  Faye stood up to everything the elements could throw at her completely unfazed by the conditions.

Those who came on after her had a little more luck with the weather. Yes, they may have their heroes in the US but Faye proved that they breed them tough up in Kirriemuir too.


Talking of the Northern Meeting, we forgot to include the overall prizes in our lists of winners. The Sandy Grant Gordon Trophy for best ‘B’ Grade piper went to Sandy Cameron, the Under-18 award to Brighde Chaimbeul and the Under-15 to Gavin McKay. There are pictures of these youngsters included in the review mentioned above.


Why does the BBC Radio Scotland ‘Pipeline’ show continue to ignore the very important announcement made during Worlds Week about the new National Juvenile Pipe Band Fund? There they were on Saturday night happily giving scads of airtime to US filmmaker John MacDonald and his latest commercial enterprise (is there not something in the BBC Charter about free plugs) yet not a syllable, as far as I’m aware, about this new fund which will, we hope, benefit hundreds of less well off kids in our juvenile bands. The fund is run by the RSPBA and you can find out more here.


New letters added today on the Donald Sutherland Collection and Donald MacPherson’s medals.


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