RSPBA surveys bands to move UK Championships to May 3rd

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association is polling member bands about whether they would like to move the UK Championships date from July 12th to May 3rd.

According to sources, if the date changes, the contest will still be held at the Royal Highland Centre in Ingliston, on the west side of Edinburgh.

“It’s great to see HQ canvassing quick first-hand opinion of the member bands to help inform their decision-making of this fluid situation,” said Erinn McIlwaine, Secretary of Northern Ireland’s Grade 1 Closkelt and the RSPBA’s Northern Ireland Branch Marketing & Media Chairperson.

The July 12th date initially announced for the UK Championships has been met with considerable consternation by member bands. The date is a traditional cultural day for many in Northern Ireland, and many bands are committed to local parades.

“Colin Mulhern has shown that he is very much committed to making this contest the best it can be.”

The date is also during the holiday period in Scotland, when families get away for vacations, including a respite from the intense pipe band competition season.

Early indications are that the proposal to move the event to May 3rd could be approved, though others expressed concern that they have already booked time off work and changed holiday plans to attend a July 12th contest.

Several Grade 1 bands had reportedly expressed their dismay and probable intention to miss the July 12th event.

Early May Scottish weather is more unpredictable than usual. The RSPBA competition season in Scotland typically starts a week later at Gourock where conditions generally range from barely tolerable to horrendous.

“[RSPBA Chief Exceutive] Colin Mulhern has shown that he is very much committed to making this contest the best it can be, and keeping the bands on board is a great step in everyone working together,” said a source, asking their name not be attached. “Good to see him and the RSPBA thinking progressively.”