Testimonials

The Lewis Pipe Band is the oldest community organisation in the Western Isles having been formed in 1904. Still going strong today, the Band continues to support the development of players throughout the Islands, and also provides as a platform for members of the Lewis & Harris Youth Pipe Band to aspire to. We aim to compete at as many competitions as we can, but being island based we are restricted in what we can do by much higher travel and subsistence costs. All costs for the band are relied upon entirely by public support, fundraising and donations.

Receiving support from The Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust of £1,000 to help with costs of travel to and from the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow allowed us to compete again for the first time since the pandemic. This allowed a number of our newer members, some of whom had never experienced a competition before, to experience the enjoyment and spectacle of The Worlds. A big thank you to the GDMT for the support!

The Strathmore Schools Pipe Band is incredibly grateful to the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust for their generous support. Thanks to their funding, we have been able to host regular pipe band practices with a skilled music instructor. This has had a profound impact on our pupils, enhancing their musical abilities and fostering a sense of teamwork and pride.

Our pipe band project provides free music tuition to over 150 pupils across Blairgowrie and the surrounding rural areas, ensuring that young people have access to high-quality musical education regardless of their background. The Trust’s support has been instrumental in helping us continue this mission, and we deeply appreciate their commitment to nurturing the next generation of musicians.

The year 2024 has been eventful and challenging for me in my aspiring career. I would like to thank ‘The Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust’ for their continued support with my piping.

This year I have progressed to my final year at ‘The Royal Conservatoire’ in Glasgow. B Mus (Traditional Music-piping) degree.

I am also continuing to take lessons from my long term tutor, Willie Morrison.

This year in competition I was successful in winning many prizes. The pinnacle was winning the ‘Pipe Idol’ competition in the ‘Piping Centre’, Glasgow, in August.

DB Trad Group provides free tuition in Scottish traditional music to young persons in our area as well as the opportunity to be part of a band performing live regularly throughout each year. We have received lovely support from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust from the beginning of our project. The funding we have been very lucky to receive towards our running costs makes all the difference, and means we can keep music free for our young musicians who love playing and being part of the group.

The Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust have been outstanding in their support for piping and drumming, and have been cornerstones of our organisation since its inception. This year we were very grateful to receive funding towards venue hire costs – without this we would not be able to teach the young people of East Ayrshire. Our young people are receiving first class tuition, support and opportunities they would not get if not for our service.

Thank you so much to all members of the GDMT for changing the lives of our young people.