European Pipe Band Champs Promo/ South Africa Soloists End of Year Meeting

Need a reminder of the summer’s pipe band contests? Below is the link to a promo video put out by the sponsors of the European Pipe Band Championships, Piping at Forres. It is ostensibly a plug for their commercial side but there are some good shots of bands, drum corps, RSPBA officials and adjudicators. The picture above shows Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia marching to the line at Forres last summer.
The press release reads: Piping At Forres, the European Pipe Band Championships, will take place in the Moray town for the last time on 30 June 2018 after a six-year run, and organisers of the one day event want to make sure it is bigger and better than ever before. In January, Forres Events Limited will host an event at the distillery of title sponsor Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Joanna Taylor, a director of Forres Events Limited which organises Piping At Forres, said the sponsors event will showcase why investing in the one day celebration makes good business sense: ‘The event attracts people from all over the world. Grant Park will be filled with thousands of pipers and drummers along with many thousands more spectators.  What better place to showcase your business?’
The event has been supported by title sponsor Benromach Speyside Single Malt since it began in 2013. Marketing director Ian Chapman said: ‘It was a very strong event from the start. Those who have attended it have been very impressed with the infrastructure and the layout in the park and its location within the town and I think that contributes to the success of the event.
If you are keen to find out more about becoming a sponsor at Piping At Forres or attending the event at Benromach in Forres on January 18^th email Joanna at joannat@pipingatforres.com’

Johannesburg-based piper Nicholas Taitz has sent this report to the Editor: Dear Robert, On the evening of Friday, 15 December, the Scottish Piping Society of Southern Africa held its last event of the year, an informal evening of piping.  The venue for this enjoyable event was The View, the historic Victorian mansion of Lord and Lady Cullinan [of diamond fame], later the regimental home of the Transvaal Scottish regiment in Johannesburg.
The evening was an informal one, without the pipers being in Highland dress. Well-known Scottish pipemaker and piper Brian Mulhearn was out here to visit some of his old friends, and he played a fine selection on pipes of his own manufacture.  The set he brought was all polypenco, and must be an ideal travel instrument, being both unbreakable and without any CITES-prohibited substance anywhere to be found.  He was also playing his ‘Ayrfire’ chanter, which he had brought in both black and blue polypenco.  Brian also showed some of us his new moisture control system which was very interesting to see.

Malcolm Chadwick, one of our best pipers, played very well in my opinion, with really cracking technique on a finely balanced pipe.  He is definitely a piper to watch for the future. Joshua Hogg gave us something different playing a very tuneful set of smallpipes.  Next on was myself, followed by young Matthew Pollock, who is a very promising young piper, and who played with good composure.
Last on was Simon Workman whose full silver Robertsons were sounding good as usual. This is an old set first gifted to P/M Sheppard in the then Rhodesia in the 1950s as a gift from the school where he taught the pipe band for many years. It was a good evening of piping, and a fitting way to end the year.  I have enclosed a few pictures of the evening.