from HQ to You!


the chance of a band playing well has to be a good thing and from now on bands who want to keep their ‘pipes up’ can do so without any penalty.’ T e rule change was mooted last year but, possibly because it would have been compulsory, it narrowly failed to gain a majority. T is time it was made optional and passed unanimously.


T e AGM heard that Association funds continue to be bouyant with an £89,000 surplus for the fi nancial year ending December 31 - and this despite a 52% increase in prizemoney during 2013. T e exact fi gures show that in 2012 the prize fund for the fi ve majors was £76,000. Last year that was increased by


AGM ....forced re-location


£38,000 to £115,000. Chief Executive Ian Embelton said: ‘We are keen to pass on as much of our surplus as is prudent to our winning bands and hence the large increase last year. What does not go in the prize fund is held to pay for our running costs and the rest placed in reserve to pay for the planned re-location of the Association’s Headquarters once a new site has been identifi ed and a development project agreed. T anks to the contracts which we were able to negotiate over the past few years, we are in a healthy position fi nancially and we aim to continue this in the future. Contracts are in place for the championships for 2015 and negotiations for the years thereaſt er will begin in the autumn.’


Only 31 bands were represented at the AGM (held on March 8th in the Trades House in Glasgow), although the number of delegates attending was just under 100. Association offi cials admitted to being slightly disappointed at the turn out from member bands but accepted the view that when things were going well bands seemed to be happy to leave the running of the Association to elected offi cials and the Board of Directors. T e AGM and the earlier meeting


RT Shepherd & Son (Scotland) Ltd


www.shepherd-bagpipes.com APRIL 2014 Pipe Band Magazine 3


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