The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) has postponed its Annual General Meeting. The meeting was due to take place tomorrow (14th) in Glasgow.
The Board of Directors cite concerns over the Coronavirus situation. No new date has as yet been suggested.
A statement on the RSPBA’s website read:
| “The RSPBA Annual General Meeting scheduled for tomorrow … has been postponed due to the escalating coronavirus situation. The decision to postpone was taken after the Board of Directors considered in detail the advice of both local and national government agencies and is intended to minimise the potential health risk to our membership. “We know and appreciate that our members from across the UK will be disappointed by this late notification, however we have been working to assess the risk from a situation which continues to change rapidly. In the circumstances we believe the right thing to do for our membership is to postpone. “The RSPBA heed all government health advice. Branches and bands are also asked to re-assess all activities during the period of the current pandemic in the interest of the wellbeing of all band members and supporters. “The RSPBA will continue to be vigilant about coronavirus and will of course follow all advice from Health Protection Scotland. We will advise the membership of a new date for the AGM once the situation has improved and restrictions have been lifted.” |
The news comes as a number of piping organisations are cancelling their events. Earlier today, the bi-annual Australian Pipe Band Championships, were postponed until October. The event was due to take place in Victoria over the weekend of April 4-5.
The organisers of the fifth Newcastle Piping Festival – which was due to take place next weekend in the northern England city – also today cancelled their event. Two of its performers (from Italy and France) had cancelled because of travel restrictions imposed on them.
In addition, yesterday the Piobaireachd Society cancelled its annual conference which was due to take place in Glasgow the same weekend.
Elsewhere, the Irish Pipe Band Association has postponed the Munster Solo Championships, the annual Kingdom Thistle Drumming Solos in Lochgelly, Fife has also been postponed until September 19.
At the time of posting, the RSPBA has not made a statement advising of its other events and the British Columbia Pipers Association is going ahead with its Annual Gathering on April 10-11 in Vancouver. The Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario’s Toronto branch plans to hold its annual indoor competition on April 11. The New Zealand Pipe Band Championships is still going ahead this weekend in Invercargill.
The Lowland & Border Pipers’ Society and the Scottish Pipers’ Association are understood to be discussing their respective events, due to take place in Glasgow at the end of this month.
