In only their second competitive outing, the newly established City of Inverness Pipe Band has won the grade 4A category of the prestigious British Pipe Band Championships.
Around 4,000 talented pipers and drummers performed at Paisley’s James Park on Saturday.
The fledgling City of Inverness Pipe Band was jubilant at winning its prize.
It took the Neil McLachlan Challenge Trophy cup as overall winners and the RSPBA Shield as 1st Drum Corps Champions.
Provost of Inverness Helen Carmichael said: “Well done to all the pipers and drummers of City of Inverness Pipe Band for coming first at Paisley in their grade.
“They are certainly blazing a trail for Inverness and the Highlands in the competitive pipe band circuit, as this is amazingly their second competition which they have won in a row.
“The previous weekend they won on their debut outing at The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, North of Scotland branch competition, held in Banchory.”
Pipe Major Scott Taylor said: “This is an unbelievable achievement for such a new band, and a real reward for all the hard work that the band members have put in over the winter.”
The City of Inverness Pipe Band is supported by the Inverness Common Good Fund.
Successes for other Highland bands were Ross and Cromarty Pipes and Drums schools band coming third in the grade 4 novice A, Lochalsh Junior band was fourth in the grade 4 novice B and Ullapool and District grade 4A got sixth place.
Other Highland bands competing at the British Championships were Wester Ross; Badenoch and Strathspey, and Northern Constabulary Community.
There are full results on the RSPBA website at
http://www.rspba.org/results/resultselector.php