Band drums up support from Dandara
The Tynecastle Youth Community Pipe Band in Edinburgh has reeled in a £250 donation from housebuilder Dandara East Scotland.
The money will be used to help purchase new bagpipes for the band, which provides free music tuition to pupils from four local primary schools in the area and Tynecastle Secondary School, and is wholly funded by donations and grants.
Lisa Archibald, head of sales at Dandara East Scotland, which is launching a development just over two miles away in Pinkhill, commented: “Bagpipes are part of Scotland’s cultural heritage and we wanted to show our support for the tremendous work the band does not only to entertain people but to share their skills with children and teenagers from all different backgrounds.
“Learning to play a musical instrument can be life-changing for some young pupils, opening up a whole new world to them. We are pleased to help and will hopefully have a chance to hear the band in action with their new pipes.”
Set up in 2016, the Tynecastle Youth Community Pipe Band has 20 members and aims to remove as many barriers as possible for young people to access the opportunity of being part of a pipe band, encouraging them to be proud of where they are from and building strong links in the community.
Catriona Robertson, Committee Chair for the Pipe Band, said: “This is an amazing donation from Dandara East Scotland. We are constantly scrabbling about for money, so it means a lot to us. This year we are on a major fundraising drive to buy eight new sets of bagpipes and this will be a big help.”