Sponsorship & Award Feedback
The following feedback was received from those who received a sponsorship award from the Trust. If you’re interested in sponsorship, please find out how to get funded. Our sub-group carefully considers all submissions.
St Andrew’s Day Charity Ball
The GDMT sponsored and supported the National Piping Centre’s St Andrew’s Day Charity Ball 2024, held on 30 September 2024.
Funded in 1996, the National Piping Centre is at the center of today’s dynamic piping tradition, a cultural hub for traditional music in the heart of Glasgow. The NPC Charity Ball brings together like-minded individuals, organisations and businesses to help support their vital charitable work providing platforms for people of all abilities and ages to play bagpipes, hear bagpipes and be part of our community.
Ardmore Cup Invitational Solo Piping Competition
The third annual Ardmore Cup Invitational Solo Piping Competition was held in St Declan’s Village Hall, Ardmore, Ireland, on the 22nd February 2025. Both the MRS and Medley competitions were won by Finlay Johnston, with Willie McCallum runner up in the MSR and Angus J McColl runner up in the medley.
The Ardmore Cup was inspired by the success of the Sun Belt Invitational Solo Piping Competition in Orlando, Florida, and this year they held the first Junior and Novice Adult competitions which were sponsored by the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust.
The amateur events had a healthy entry of young pipers.
Results:
- Practice Chanter – Harry Bell, Hamilton.
- Novice Adult – Shea Toner
- 14 & Under (above) – Henry Spencer
Junior & Senior Pipe Major Donald MacLeod Memorial 2025
Having the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust is an honour for us, Ian and Chris dedicated their time to be there with us on both days, which is great for us to have our sponsors there to see the magic happen. The Trust awarded each of the juniors a GDMT T-Shirt and a piping book to keep Gordon’s compositions going. The money in its self helps us in many ways towards, travel and accommodation only to name a few.
Micheal MacLellan from South Uist was our junior overall gaining first in all three competitions.
Angus MacColl took the Pipe Major Donald MacLeod MBE overall champion on the day for the fifth time.
The Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships
The support from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust has been invaluable in empowering hundreds of young people to showcase their talents in traditional Scottish music at this year’s Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships. By sponsoring the freestyle category, the Trust’s generosity has not only inspired the 2,000+ attendees at the event but also strengthened the connection these young musicians have with Scotland’s rich musical heritage. This support has allowed the bands to celebrate their unity as teams, experience the joy of performing, and embrace the true sense of community that comes with being part of a traditional Scottish band.
We trust that Gordon would have been proud of the incredible performances delivered by all the young musicians. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Trust for its invaluable contribution, and it was both an honour and a pleasure to have GDMT trustees join us at the Championships.
Finlay MacDonald – The Crofthead Collection
The GDMT gave me the boost I needed to bring my first solo music collection (The Crofthead Collection) to fruition. I’d been talking about it and trying to get it released for years but it was the Trust’s support and encouragement that made it happen.
The GDMT are supportive, encouraging and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the traditional music world. Everyone at the GDMT understand musicians needs, making the process accessible which in turn inspires people to achieve their creative dreams.