| Paisley Pipe Band | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1971 |
| Location | Paisley, Scotland |
| Grade | Novice Juvenile |
| Pipe Major | Stephen Bright |
| Tartan | Blue Ramsay |
Paisley Pipe Band is a pipe band which originates from Paisley, Scotland. The band wears the Blue Ramsay Tartan. Its most notable achievement was winning the World Pipe Band Championships and obtaining the title of Champion of Champions in 2001, in the Novice Juvenile Grade. Since then it has continued to be reasonably successful in similar competitions.
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The band was formed in 1971 as the '4th Paisley Boys Brigade Band'. It was set up by Graham Johnston and Matt Connell, where Graham was the Chairman and Matt in charge of the drum corps. In charge of pipes at that time was Sam Black. The band started competing in Boys Brigade competitions and was very successful. In 1991 the band changed its name to 'Renfrew District Association Pipe Band' in hope of funding from Renfrew Council at that time. It then started to compete in RSPBA competitions and was immediately successful as they were placed 1st at the very first competition in East Kilbride. The band had a brief successful spell, where in 1996, with Colin Johnston as the Pipe Major, the band won all Major RSPBA competitions (Worlds, Cowal, European, British and Scottish Pipe Band Championships) apart from the Cowal Highland Gathering which earned the band the title of Champion of Champions. This funding didn't materialise and in 2001 the band changed its name again to the current name of 'Paisley Pipe Band' and has continued to compete in the Pipe Band world. The band was fortunate to take part on the Scottish Government rare breeds instruments initiative in conjunction with Renfrewshire Council and many of the current members benefited from this experience.
The pipe band secretary is Maureen Gilmour and the Pipe Major is Stephen Bright, who himself has won the World Pipe Band Championships whilst a player with the band. The band practises at West Primary School in Paisley, from around 7:30pm to 9:45pm. There are around 20 members of the Pipe Band, who play instruments consisting of the Bagpipes, Snare Drum, Tenor Drum and Bass Drum. Boys and Girls with ages ranging from 9-18 years of age participate in the band, and take part in contests all across Scotland and little, to no experience is required to go and try out. Paisley Pipe Band has competed frequently throughout its history and has managed to win many prizes.
Paisley Pipe Band have appeared at many local over recent years. The Band has played for Remembrance Day over recent years for the Royal British Legion. The Sma' Shot parade took place in Paisley on 2nd July 2011, where the band marched from Brodie Park to Abbey Close. The band again also played through the streets of Paisley in accompaniment with Santa Claus for The Santa Parade & Christmas Lights event in November. The band also competed at the Paisley Pipe Band Competition which started in 2010 where Paisley Pipe Band obtained 1st place in Drumming in the Novice Juvenile Grade, the following year Paisley managed to win the Novice Juvenile Grade overall. This Paisley pipe band competition is organised in partnership with Paisley Vision and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association. Paisley Pipe Band also played at the final St Mirren game at their Love Street Stadium, led the parade to the new Greenhill Road stadium and played at the first game at the new stadium. The band also did bag-packing at local supermarkets to gain funds.
The Pipe Band has competed in many competitions including :
| Year | Grade | Worlds | Cowal | European | British | Scottish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Nov | 10 | 5 | - | 8 | 7 |
| 2010 | Nov | 5 | - | - | 11 | 9 |
| 2009 | Nov Qual 2 | 8 | - | 10 | - | 7 |
| 2005 | Nov | 6 | 11 | - | 5 | 9 |
| 2004 | Nov | 6 | 8 | - | 8 | 12 |
| 2003 | Nov | - | 5 | - | - | - |
| 2002 | Juv | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 2001 | Nov | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 |
Results for season 2011 were :
| Contest | Grade | Final Position |
|---|---|---|
| Rothesay | Nov | 1 |
| Rothesay | Juv | 2 |
| Bridge of Allan | 4 | 2 |
| Bridge of Allan | 3 | 14 |
| Paisley | Nov | 1 |
| Paisley | 3 | 4 |
| Balloch | Nov | 1 |
| Balloch | 3 | 3 |
| Helensburgh | Nov | 1 |
| Helensburgh | Juv | 3 |
| Lesmahagow | 4 | 1 |
| Lesmahagow | 3 | 5 |
| Ardrossan | Nov | 1 |
| Ardrossan | 3 | 3 |
| Bearsden | Nov | 1 |
| Bearsden | Juv | 3 |
| Girvan | 4 | 2 |
| Girvan | 3 | 2 |
| Shotts | Nov | 1 |
| Shotts | Juv | 4 |
| Gourock | Nov | 2 |
| Gourock | Juv | 5 |
| Cowal Highland Gathering | Nov | 5 |
| World Pipe Band Championships | Nov | 10 |
| British Championships | Nov | 8 |
| Scottish Championships | Nov | 7 |
Results for 2010 season were :
| Contest | Grade | Final Position |
|---|---|---|
| Rothesay | Nov | 1 |
| Rothesay | Juv | 3 |
| Paisley | Nov | 2 |
| Paisley | 3 | 4 |
| Balloch | Nov | 2 |
| Helensburgh | Nov | 4 |
| Helensburgh | Juv | 3 |
| Bearsden | Nov | 4 |
| Bearsden | Juv | 2 |
| Girvan | 4 | 2 |
| Girvan | 3 | 2 |
| Shotts | Nov | 5 |
| Shotts | Juv | 5 |
| Gourock | Nov | 6 |
| World Pipe Band Championships | Nov | 5 |
| British Championships | Nov | 11 |
| Scottish Championships | Nov | 9 |