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2018 Review and Where You Saw Us!

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Written New Year 2018/19, originally posted on the band's facebook page...

 

Well folks, it has been a helluva year for the band, and as we look forward to 2019, here are just some of our highlights of the year just past.

Back at the start of the year band members once once again took home medals at the S.England branch solo competitions, Abbie continued this throughout the year - I think we are all agreed she is just showing off now!

Moving into the summer season we revisited many of our favourite events, and attended some notable first time bookings at Burghley house and Sandringham.

Mid Summer saw the band bid farewell to Nathan who returned to Canada after a few years during which he was of great help to the pipe corp and totally failed to learn drumming as had been his first aim! :p A really great member of the band who will be missed - all the best buddy!

We were all over the East playing in Cambridge, St Ives, Peterborough, Huntingdon, Buntingford, Ramsey and a load more I cant quite recall off the top of my head.

In addition to the many 'local' gigs, the band again hit the road with individual and groups of members taking band colours on display at tattoos and events in Berlin, Moscow, Khabarovsk, Arnhem and Birmingham along with many other fantastic musicians and old friends.

Probably our biggest ever logistical effort in August saw 19 band members fulfill our first full band engagement overseas at the International Bagpipe Festival in Gijon, Spain. Absolutely brilliant to be asked to such a prestigious event and great the see the band name on posters rather than us making up just part of a massed band. Super hard work to organise, but great time had by all and hopefully not the last time we get asked to such an event*.

*We are totally free for that weekend when need a pipe band for your beach festival in the Maldives - just let us know!*

The band was also out in force on Remembrance Sunday, a particularly significant one marking 100 years since the Armistice. Several solo pipers from the band marked the 6am "Battles Over" tribute in locations from Nottingham to Cromer and umpteen other places in between; before the band as a group completed our regular services and parades.

So much more has happened that could be worthy of note, but to keep this from getting too much longer the band needs to pass on thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of us, whether by booking us for an event or just saying something nice to us on parade it means a lot.

Finally, thanks to the band members themselves who have invested a huge amount in the ongoing successes of the band. The many hours of practice and rehearsal and then turning out at our gigs is huge and can't be appreciated enough. And no small amount of credit too to the partners and families of the band folk without whose support we couldn't have done half of the things we have done.

Here's to 2019, which will mark 10 years of the Cambridgeshire Caledonian Pipe Band! May it bring more folk into the world of pipes and drums, I for one cant wait to see where it takes us!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year.
Band Sec.

 

2018 Schedule 

Mar 29 (Thu)  Cambridgeshire Police 

May 20 (Sun) Stretham Feast

May 27/28 (Sun&Mon)  Burghley Game and Country Fair

June 16 (Sat) Buntingford Carnival (North Herts)

June 23 (Sat) Werrington Carnival, Peterborough

June 30 (Sat) Peterborough Armed Forces Day, Cathedral Sq Peterborough

July 7 (Sat am) Doddington Carnival Parade

July 14 (Sat) St Ives Carnival  

August 3-8 *dates and details tbc* Spain Trip

August 11 (Sat) Huntingdon Carnival

August 19 (Sun)  Ramsey 1940s weekend

September 8/9 (Sat&Sun))  Sandringham Game and Country Fair

Mid Sept (5 day trip) Arnhem, Holland.  74th anniversary Operation Market Garden Events.

29/30th Sept Flying Scotsman Nene Valley Rail station

Nov 3/4 (Sat/Sun) Berlin Tattoo

November - Remembrance Sunday/100yr WW1 commemorations - multiple events tbc

Nov 17 - Dobbies Peterborough - SANTA!!!!  :)

Nov 24/25 (Sat/Sun)  Birmingham International Tattoo

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