Ayrshire Company Donates £1,000 to Support Young Pipe Band Members

An Ayrshire-based renewable fuel company has donated £1,000 to Strathendrick Pipe Band Association to help support its activities for the rest of the year.

Land Energy, which produces sustainable wood pellets and briquettes, made the donation to assist the Blanefield-based band with ongoing costs, including travel, instruments and uniforms.

Strathendrick Pipe Band Association was formed shortly after the Second World War by demobbed Home Guard members. Since then, it has continued to encourage young people to learn new skills, join the band and experience traditional Scottish music.

Paul May, bass drummer with Strathendrick Pipe Band, said: “This donation from Land Energy will help massively towards travel costs this year and our intention is to take all our youth members to the last competition of the season in Rothesay, where they will have the chance to experience the closing parade marching down the High Street with the full band, hopefully while holding a trophy!

“Keeping a pipe band running week to week is an expensive business, and we rely on fundraising and donations to pay for instruments, uniforms and travel.

“The Strathendrick Pipe Band Association is both a teaching and a competing band, and we have children and young adults from all over Glasgow, Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire in attendance.”

David Bone, Communications Officer at Land Energy, said: “As a company, we have sponsored various initiatives over the years and are exceptionally proud to support the Strathendrick Pipe Band Association with this donation.

“We believe it is important to give the next generation a wide breadth of experiences that will hopefully develop into a lifelong passion for them, while also raising their cultural capital.”

Founded in 2006, Land Energy is now the UK’s largest producer of sustainable wood pellets and briquettes, supplying low-carbon renewable fuel to homes and businesses across the country.

The company also manufactures a range of sustainable products, including pizza pellets, cat litter, horse bedding and a new soil conditioner, Solivita.