19 August 2012
THE EDINBURGH PIPE BAND CHAMPIONSHIP
HIGHLAND DANCING COMPETITION
ROYAL HIGHLAND CENTRE, INGLISTON, EDINBURGH .
Band prize honour for tragic
piper,
Thomas Grotrian organised the massed
band parades of Pipefest
By JOHN-PAUL HOLDEN
Published on Thursday 9 August 2012 12:00
Published on Thursday 9 August 2012 12:00
A CAPITAL piper who was killed in a
tragic accident is to be honoured at the city’s only annual piping
championship.
Thomas Grotrian, 38, died last year
after falling down a flight of stairs during a friend’s party in Nova Scotia,
Canada.
Now his mother, Sarah, is to present a
trophy in honour of her son at the second Edinburgh Pipe Band
Championship later this month.
The announcement comes as the event
prepares to
accommodate nearly double the number
of performers and visitors at the Royal Highland Centre, with more than 40
bands set to attend.
Mr Grotrian, who moved to Canada to
take up the post of marketing manager of the Royal Nova Scotia International
Tattoo, was well known as the organiser of the Pipefest massed band parades,
which took place in cities such as Edinburgh, New York and Kyoto, and raised
hundreds of thousands of pounds for cancer charities.
Mary Michel, Mr Grotrian’s sister,
who commissioned the production of the trophy by designer and silversmith
Graham Stewart, described the award as something that would help her family
move on from the “terrible shock” of losing him.
The 33-year-old mother-of-two said:
“My mum and Thomas worked really hard together on the Pipefest event and when
she told me that a similar event had been set up and that the organisers had
approached her about being chieftain, there was a spark in her eye. It was a
huge delight and a lovely surprise for us.
“The prize will be given annually and
will be known as the Thomas Grotrian Prize for Marching and Discipline. We
thought having something permanent and annual would be the best way of
celebrating Thomas and remembering him.”
Mrs Michel, who is general manager of
the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh, added: “It’s
lovely to be part of something that’s in its early stages. When Thomas was
running Pipefest, it was about including more
people and this is
continuing that approach.
“When we went to his memorial service
in Canada last year, lots of people there said that he always turned up to work
looking immaculate with a two-piece suit when everyone else was in jeans. The
prize really refers to his love of occasion and being well turned out.”
Archie Glendinning, director of the
Royal Highland Centre, said: “[Thomas] was heavily involved in delivering
piping events and we want to continue developing opportunities for piping in
the future.
“Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital and
putting piping on the map here is hugely important.”
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