Drummers settings

Attention Drummers: click the links and access YouTube videos of CPB drum beats:

3/4
Shoals of Herring
Bloody Fields of Flanders
Dream Valley of Glendaruel
Castle Dangerous
Balmoral
Argyll's crossing the River Po

Shoals of Herring set
Massed bands set

4/4
Loch Ruan
Wings
Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie
Murdo's Wedding

Loch Ruan set

Spin the Golden Chanter

The annual 'Golden Chanter' competition between Pipe Major's takes place on 11th February at Danderhall Miners Club.

This years event looks to be a belter with eight excellent Pipe Major's participating; watch our for Angus MacColl (Oban Pipe Band) and Gordon Walker (Mauchline Pipe Band) both gold medal winning pipers and leaders of up and coming bands.

A really great day, and cheap beer!

Battle of Skaithmuir

Next month is the anniversary of the Battle of Skaithmuir, February 1316. Fought during the wars of independence, the battle involved the interception of an Anglo-French squadron from Berwick Castle by a patrol of Scots cavalry led by Sir James Douglas (the Good Sir James or the Black Douglas depending on your point of view).

Reckoned by Douglas to be the hardest fight he ever had, and he was a good judge, the outnumbered Scots defeated the raiders and put them to flight.

Perhaps something for the 1513 Club to mull over.

HNY 2012

A belated Happy New Year to all for 2012: we hope it's a good one for you and yours.

Some news to warm the cockles on a cold, wintery day: we're off to la belle France in August.

Message from Elspeth: the Pipe Band have been invited to Theirache in September this year to help the Orchestra Harmonie Municipal et Orignay, celebrate their 120th anniversary. The pipe Band extend this invitation to you as friends of the Pipe Band. We will leave by bus on Thursday 30th August (evening) and return on Thursday 6th September (early afternoon). The cost will be approximately £90 per person. It is a lovely area of France very near the Belgian border. Renee Lecler has emailed asking for names and numbers so if you could let me know yes or no by Friday, that would be excellent. The Band do hope as many of you as possible will join us.

Emails sent to the blog will be forwarded to Elspeth.

This month also sees the start of the 2012 Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Highlights include the annual Gordon Duncan memorial recital and a concert from Lothian & Borders Police and the Spirit of Scotland pipe bands.

Practice nights have resumed, Monday's - school hall - 7.30

Window on Flodden

The Flodden window, Middleton Parish Church of Saint Leonard, Rochdale, Lancashire.

The window depicts The Middleton Archers and their leader Sir Richard Asheton who helped the English to victory at Flodden. The church was built in 1524 by Sir Richard, in celebration of the knighthood granted to him by Henry VIII for his part in the battle.

The window is thought to be the oldest war memorial in the UK. It provides in detail the names of the archers, their leader Sir Richard and his wife. Following his safe return, Sir Richard hung his battle armour as well as the sword of Sir William Foreman, a Scots Knight he had captured. (Information from the Rochdale Company of Archers).

Piping music site

A very useful website has been launched for those hard to get, Willie Kinghorn, style 6/8's: http://www.ceolsean.net/

It might have drumming music; if there is such a thing......

Flodden ride-out (2)

Pictures from Grant Kinghorn, a sports, events and common ridings photographer based in Selkirk. We are grateful to him for supplying these images.

World Pipe Band Championships

Several members, families and friends of the Band attended the World's in Glasgow this year. A great day out.

The Grade 1 Championships were won by the Field Marshall Montgomery from Northern Ireland.

Grade 4a was won by the Scottish Borders band, which contains players from Hawick and Stow. Many congratulations to them.

Flodden 2011

The Flodden ride, 2011 version. It rained!

With many thanks to Linda Holmes for the pictures.

Report in the Berwickshire News. Other pictures are also available on the Civic Week web site and from photographer Grant Kinghorn.

Civic Week 2011

This year's Civic Week was another great success for the Band. Good numbers meant that the Band was always well represented and the new look uniform won approval.

We were delighted and honoured to receive the Jim Patterson Memorial Rose Bowl. The award is made each year to an organisation active in the town.

Picture is of the Band from the Sunday Sashing Ceremony at the beginning of the week and the attached video is from the Monday evening return of the ride-out to Norham; it confirms many rumours!

Kelso 23 July 2011

Kelso Civic Week ended on Saturday 23rd July with the annual fancy dress parade. As ever, we joined the Kelso Pipe Band for a massed band into the Town Square.

Coldstream had a big band out - 10 pipers! A great blend of experience and youthful enthusiasm; well, that's one way of putting it!

Uniformity

Interesting to see how the bands uniform has changed over the years:

Eyemouth

The photograph of the Band taken in Eyemouth is next to the memorial to Scotland's worst fishing disaster, which affected many coastal communities in South East Coast Scotland, but which had a devastating effect on Eyemouth.

Eyemouth Herring Queen 2011

We played on 17th July at the Eyemouth Herring Queen Festival.

As guests of the Berwick & Eyemouth Royal British Legion Band we performed in a massed bands with B&E RBL and the Kelso Band.

And the sun was shining and all was well with the world.

Eyemouth 17th July

What could disturb a Band photo more than the search and rescue helicopter? Prince William driving it that's what! (Only joking)

2011 World's

The 2011 World Pipe Band Championships take place later than usual this year on 13th August, which means that with Civic Week starting on 31st July we can go.

Ian is looking for numbers for what is a great day out, lots of good music and the added delights of Glasgow.

The 2010 World's were won by St Laurence O' Toole from Dublin and mighty fine they were.

Installation of the Coldstreamer 2011

Late news, but here is a video of the Band at the Installation of the Coldstreamer.

Bad Lot

From 50 years ago in the Berwickshire News:

"WITHIN a month of being opened, the new Henderson Park has been the target for vandals, and at Tuesday’s meeting of Coldstream Town Council it was suggested the park might be put out of bounds to school children during their lunch break. Councillor W A Anderson said that children had been running over flower beds, destroying things. Councillor J M Davidson thought a ban on the use of the park by the children during their lunch break might help. Councillor I C Jack said that if this sort of action continued, they must consider taking serious action in the future."

Pipeline: BBC Radio Scotland

Sunday 18th June

The always excellent Pipeline programme on Radio Scotland (7pm every Sunday) featured Chris Waite of Chirnside on the small pipes. More to come from Chris soon as a CD of young Border pipers is due to be released.

Listen again on BBC i-player.

80th Birthday weekend

Celebrations of our 80th Birthday were a huge success; a packed Town Hall enjoyed the evening concert and we even packed the Parish Kirk on the Sunday!

Our friends from Wales, England and France thoroughly enjoyed themselves: pictures to come.