Piping Press

Christmas has come early for UK bagpipemakers with the announcement that from March next year they will not have to apply for a Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) certificate for every instrument they sell. The ruling, in place since January 2017, meant that all manufacturers had to charge up to £60 on each set to pay for a licence to export their African blackwood (ABW) pipes. The process…

The World Pipe Band Championship has been named ‘Outdoor Event of the Year’ at the Scottish  Music Awards, held last Saturday in Glasgow. Receiving the award on behalf of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association were Chief Executive Ian Embelton, Chairman John Hughes and Chief Steward Alex Dalziel. They are pictured above. The prestigious award was presented before hundreds of guests at the city’s Scottish Exhibition Centre. Lomond and Clyde…

The Editor writes: Following yesterday’s Vale news I wonder if there will be sufficient Grade 1 bands at the Worlds to justify the Friday Qualifier? Possibly not.  We’ve recently had three bands downgraded from Grade 1: Denny & Dunipace Gleneagles, Buchan Peterson and Cap Caval. I understand that no New Zealand bands will be coming over next year nor will Toronto Police – and we have already had the sad news of…