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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Nicholas Keyden

Bagpiper leads nation in thanking coronavirus heroes with rousing Scotland the Brave rendition

This is the moment a Scots bagpiper led the nation in thanking our NHS and coronavirus heroes with a rousing display of Scotland the Brave.

Finlay MacDonald and his two boys belted out the Scottish anthem on his doorstep in East Renfrewshire after organising the Pipe Up! for the Key Workers.

The 42-year-old rallied the piping community to show their appreciation in Scottish style alongside the second ' Clap for our Carers ', which kicked off at 8pm tonight.

The Director of the National Piping Centre struck up outside his Clarkston home alongside sons Elliott, 10, and Fionn, 8, who joined in on their chanters.

Speaking after his performance, Finlay told how the Pipe Up! campaign even attracted players from as far as Asia.

He said: "We have heard from people in Japan, South Africa, America, Spain and Italy who are all taking part.

Piper Finlay MacDonald with his sons Fionn and Elliott outside their home in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire (Wattie Cheung)

"It was great, a really special moment - all our neighbours were out in their gardens with a rousing round of applause.

"This is our way of entertaining people and showing our appreciation to key staff who are keeping us safe."

And Finlay wasn't alone in showing appreciation through a jig, with social media flooded by videos of pipers striking up as neighbours clapped.

Piper plays along with Sunshine on Leith in Edinburgh to thank key workers

Nicola Keanie, from Edinburgh, filmed one piper accompanying a rendition of The Proclaimers' Sunshine on Leith in the capital.

She told The Record: "Leith is an amazing community. It's for all the workers getting us through these hard times."

Members of the public took to their windows, balconies and gardens in a round of applause for the second week running, with streets across the country filled with the sound of clapping and cheering.

They joined thousands of Brits across the UK in emotional scenes to thank staff who are working so hard to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Elsewhere iconic Scottish landmarks were lit up in a show of support.

The Glenfinnan Viaduct, known around the world Harry Potter fans, joined famous venues and attraction like Glasgow’s SSE Hydro and Falkirk's Kelpies by beaming the colours of the NHS.

Key workers recognised with pipes and clapping around Scotland

The Stage Group's Martin Whyte, who organised the illumination, said: "We feel a huge sense of responsibility for the mental well being of many people within our industry, who have lost their jobs and have nothing to do.

"Lighting the Viaduct gives us something practical to focus on and utilises our skills for something that will be appreciated by all of our key workers.

“Glenfinnan viaduct is iconic for the village, for Scotland and across the world and it has long been my ambition to light it up.

"What better time than now to make this happen as a gesture of solidarity with the front-line NHS staff who are risking their own health to help others during this pandemic."

So far in Scotland 126 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have died, with 2,602 confirmed cases.

In the UK as a whole, 2,921 people have passed away as a result of the virus.

Across the world there are now more than a million coronavirus cases.

The virus has killed more than 51,000 globally with the largest number of deaths in Italy, followed by Spain and the United States.

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