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Paul Wright is the foreground piper

At the age of twelve, Paul was taken by a school friend to the East Hull Army Cadet Force, where his friend was a drummer. It was the sound of the bagpipes that caught his attention. Paul has always had an 'ear' for music and was encouraged by his parents to play. His mother bought him a piano, but he's always had a fondness for the pipes and although the piano has long since gone, he's still keen to play and promote the playing of the pipes which has deepened his interest in music. He says it's an absorbing hobby.

Learning to play takes time and effort and it can take up to two years to learn the finger movements before being proficient enough to move on to learn how to use a full set of pipes which require precise tuning to get the correct sound. Playing the pipes is not a full time occupation for Paul, his regular job is I.T. manager at Sydney Smith School in Hull.

The Kingstown Scottish Pipe Band was formed in 1991 and had some success. In 1998, Paul took over as Pipe Major and the band went through a few changes. In 2004, the band became the Beverley and District Pipe Band, and attracted new members and 2006 saw the band return to competition. The main picture is the pipe corps of the band during the massed bands finale at the English Championships held at Ashbourne in 2007.

This picture is of Paul Wright (on the left) being presented with the B.J. Robinson Challenge Quaich by Kevin Reilly, Chairman of the RSPBA, for First Place in the North East RSPBA Open March Competition in 2006.

The band is often seen performing at events around the area and gets a warm reception wherever it plays. Paul is hoping the band will take part in many more competitions and encourages people who might be interested not only in the pipes but also the drumming side of the band to take part. Contact details can be found on their website. There's a link to their site at the top right hand side of this page.