A disbanding pipe band in the north-east is ensuring its drums will continue to keep time for years to come, by donating them to a school in the Western Isles.
Pressure from the pandemic, combined with a lack of engagements and an excess of working commitments from members, meant the Stonehaven Pipe Band was recently forced to shut down.
The struggles were just too tough to overcome, even for a group that had weathered serious fluctuations in membership over the years, according to band member Andy Meehan.
He said: “The decision to fold was a particularly difficult one to make, with the band having been around for many years, and some members having several family generations associated with the band.”
But while the musicians will no longer be playing together, their instruments will not be going to waste – instead, they are being sent almost 200 miles west to Harris.
Drumming fever in Western Isles
The pupils at Sir E Scott School near Tarbert have embraced the drumming tuition recently introduced to the area, after a tutor post was started in partnership with the Lewis and Harris Pipe Band, the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust (SSPDT) and the Western Isles Council.
Already, almost half of S1 and S2 students are involved with the new offering.
Emma Holmes, music teacher at Sir E Scott School, said: “We realised we would need to source drums as a matter of urgency and contacted the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust to enquire about their funding.
“We were amazed when they replied with Stonehaven Pipe Band’s generous offer.
“We are so grateful to Stonehaven Pipe Band and want them to know that their drums have gone to a good home, and they will be ringing out across the fields again very soon.”
Mr Meehan said: “Remaining members agreed that donating the instruments to Sir E Scott School, to provide opportunities for youngsters to develop and to continue our tradition, was the best outcome in the circumstances, and which we are sure all past members would support.”
Stonehaven Pipe Band also donated five sets of their pipes to the SSPDT’s Bagpipe Lending Scheme, which loans pipes to young people free of charge as they get to grips with the instrument and raise funds for their own set.
Offer to other areas
Alexandra Duncan, the director of SSPDT, said: “Our trust lends pipes to Lewis and Harris, and we co-fund the new drumming tutor post.
“We have also been delighted to help establish piping and drumming tuition in schools in Aberdeenshire.
“The trust would welcome partnerships with Aberdeen Council and/or directly with schools to boost tuition to meet demand and to help all community pipe bands in the city.”
Mr Meehan said: “All bands go through cycles, and we are glad that this final cycle will result in supporting more young people to take up the pipes and drums.”
