Primary seven pupils at Kirkcudbright received a special send off on Friday.
Teachers Ruth Gordon, James Flannighan and Robert McClune piped them from the school grounds on their last day before they move to the academy in August.
The three teachers have been learning the bagpipes for more than a year thanks to the South West of Scotland Piping and Drumming Academy.
The group aims to encourage tuition from P5 up to S2/S3. Last May, when the number of pupils receiving tuition at Kirkcudbright Primary was about to be increased, the three teachers asked if they could be included.
So Ruth, James and Robert were given practice chanters and every Wednesday they have been given bagpipe lessons via Skype by Andy McCartney with piping colleague Nick Gordon also involved in the encouragement and progress.
And all their hard work paid off when the teachers played the bagpipes to say farewell.
The South West of Scotland Piping and Drumming Academy tutors are currently providing free lessons to 24 schools across the region via Skype or Zoom. However, electronic chanters have recently been obtained as they can be played while wearing masks, meaning tuition in schools will begin once permitted.
The organisation has also been able to use the outdoor facilities at Abernethy Trust Barcaple near Ringford for tutoring, mainly at weekends and weather permitting, with social-distancing rules being followed. There are plans for a full week of drumming and tuition there by invitation during the October school holidays. It is hoped once coronavirus restrictions are lifted, Barcaple can be used for weekend workshops again as they have been popular in the past.
From September until April, SWSPDA will also reintroduce piobaireachd and improver piping workshops at Barfil Farm near Crocketford by kind permission of Bob and Maggie Gordon and the Barfil Trust – a major part of the sponsorship support. This will again be subject to Covid-19 rules but the free workshops will be held from 10am until 3.30pm on Sundays with dates available at www.swspda.org.
Anyone looking to help SWSPDA in any way should contact Anne Anderson on swspda2@gmail.com.
