We rounded off an excellent competition season with a 1st place in both the Grade 4 and Grade 4 MSR at Colchester this weekend, the first time we’ve ever won our home competition!
It was a frantic afternoon of tuning, playing, catching up with old faces and finding time for the odd beer, and despite the changeable weather and short gaps between performances, we pulled together and got not one, but two winning performances.
Winning all 4 outings of our Grade 4 set this year has been a great achievement, and well done to all members of the band for their hard work over the season.
However, every silver lining has a cloud, as Brian Smith will be leaving us after 3 and half years as Pipe Major.
Since his appointment in 2012 he has constantly encouraged, cajoled and pushed the band members to be the very best that they can be, something reflected in our recent good results. Along with various improvements behind the scenes, Brian leaves us with a strong foundation to keep pushing onwards and upwards, and all the band members would like to thank him for his hard work and leadership.
We’ll be appointing our new P/Maj later in the year, but until then it’s business as usual. As always, we welcome players of all ages and abilities (we’re still on the hunt for a permanent Bass Drummer!), so whether you’re a complete novice, an experienced veteran, or are just looking to take your playing to the next level, we’d love to hear from you.
We’ll be returning to the scene of our victory next month as we take part in the Colchester Carnival on 16th July – we’ll see you there!
Essex Caledonian Pipe Band 