Do you want to join an award winning team? Piping at Forres are sounding the drum for volunteers for this year’s Piping At Forres competition to be held on Saturday 25 June 2016 in Grant Park. Volunteers are key to the success of the event and the organisers are asking as many people as possible to volunteer to help.

BBC Masterchef Finalist Darren Sivewright (Pictured Right) and David Gow (Left) from award winning Bakery Harry Gow are to judge the 2016 World Tattie Scone Championship to be held at Piping At Forres, the European Pipe Band Championships.

Entries are now open for those who would like to compete in the 2016 World Tattie Scone Championships!

BBC Masterchef semi-finalist Darren Sivewright and David Gow from award winning Bakery Harry Gow are to judge the 2016 World Tattie Scone Championship to be held at Piping At Forres, the European Pipe Band Championships, sponsored by Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky on Saturday 25 June.

Further details and entry forms are available here  for those wishing to take part.

The aim of the competition, now in it is 4^th year, is to make a tattie scone using a set recipe with mashed Albert Bartlett Rooster potatoes and Carr’s flour plus your own ‘magic’ ingredient (sorry, no alcohol though) with the tastiest and most imaginative scone winning a trophy donated by the host, the Oakwood Cookery School, Elgin and the accolade of the World’s Tastiest Albert Bartlett Tattie Scone Maker 2016.

This year there will be a special prize for the best original scone in memory of the late David Urquhart who was a Director of Forres Events Ltd, the company that runs Piping At Forres. David had the idea of the world tattie scone championship and was a huge supporter of the event.  The prize will be presented by his wife, Sheila.

Places are limited and therefore all completed forms will be entered into a draw for a place. Those successful in gaining a place will be informed by email on Monday 20 June.   All those who are awarded a place in the Tattie Scone Championships will need to buy a ticket to Piping At Forres in order to enter Grant Park but there is no fee to enter the Tattie Scone Championships and children from age 13 upwards are welcome to enter the competition.

The tattie scone competition is run by local businesswoman Elaine Sutherland from the Oakwood Cookery school near Elgin, Those wishing to register for the opportunity to compete in the tattie scone championships should download a form from the Piping At Forres website – www.pipingatforres.com; and email it to Elaine Sutherland on elaine@riversidekitchens.co.uk by 1200 hrs on Monday 20 June 2016.   See also Facebook: tattiesconechampionship.

The 2015 title was won by Cardiff-born, Senior Aircraftman Sam May from Catering Squadron, RAF Lossiemouth, with his ‘Taffies’ Tattie Scone with smoked bacon and smoked Dorset cheese as his ingredient, second was Norma Breathet a farmer from just outside Nairn with the ‘Lorne pipe’ using Lorne sausage and carmelised chutney.   Third was Elgin High School Teacher Ross Tyrbis with his ‘KFT Kentucky Fried Tattie’ scone using mixed herbs and spices.

Elaine, who spends hours peeling 20 kg of potatoes the night before the competition, said: “This is great fun and gets better and more competitive every year. We are delighted to have David and Darren help to judge the competition which will add to the fun!”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Piping At Forres, the European Pipe Band Championships, is a staple on the Scottish events calendar and is a terrific occasion for families, with something for everyone.”

“The annual World Tattie Scone Championship ensures the event has special significance for imaginative foodies and we look forward to seeing which recipe walks away with this year’s title.”

Tickets are on sale for Piping At Forres, the European Pipe Band Championships, sponsored by Benromach Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, which will take place on Saturday 25 June in Grant Park.

Tickets are now on sale at Beaver Travel in Forres and Elgin; Brodie Countryfare; The Bookshop, Logie Steading; Brambles Boutique, Nairn; Ewe & Me, Aberlour and Grantown-on-Spey or online at www.pipingatforres.com.   Tickets are in the form of wristbands allowing the ticket holder to exit and enter the park throughout the day.

Advance ticket prices offer a saving over the price of tickets sold on the day as follows:-

Adult (18-59)                                       £11.00  (£13.00 on day)

Youth (12-17)                                        £7.00       (£8.00 on day)

Senior Citizens (60 +)                        £10.00 (£11.00 on day)

Children under 12                              Free of charge when accompanied by an adult, although they must be in possession of a wristband.

Family Ticket 2 adults, 2 youths                £30.00 (£32.00 on day).

In addition to the Piping there will be a Retail and Craft village and a Food and Drink village, including a Walkers shortbread sponsored marquee featuring some of the finest produce in Moray and the surrounding area. Brodie Countryfare’s piping hot café, will be serving teas and coffees in a seated area. There will also be beer tents, including craft beers, fairground areas, and other entertainment stalls for all the family including the World Tattie Scone Championship.

Donnie Munro, former Runrig frontman and critically acclaimed solo artist,  is to be Chieftain of Piping At Forres for 2016.

Donnie Munro said: “‘I am deeply honoured to have been invited to act as Chieftain for this highly prestigious international event. Pipe Band Music has undergone enormous changes over the years and the professionalism, the quality of musicianship and complexity of performance, is now quite outstanding. I am sure this will be a fantastic day out for everyone.’

Alan James Chairman of Forres Events Ltd said: “Donnie is a well-known and much loved figure on the Scottish music scene and we are delighted to have him as Chieftain 2016. This is such a wonderful event and a great day out for all the family with so much to do across the park for all ages and interests not least the quality of the bands. I urge you to buy tickets early to avoid queuing on the day and look forward to seeing you on the 25^th June.”

Donnie will also perform at a charity dinner hosted by the Forres Rotary Club in Grant Park on the Friday Night in aid of Archie’s Foundation and Maggie’s Highland.

Photograph Joanna Taylor

Piping at Forres attracts thousands of visitors each year to Grant Park, and offers about a hundred stalls to a wide range of stallholders. Applications for stalls have now closed for 2016.

We are deeply saddened to announce the sudden death of Ian Widdowson following a road accident near Forres on New Year’s Day.    Ian was the Chairman of Forres Events Ltd, the company behind Piping At Forres, from its inception in 2012 and was well respected in his role, where his enthusiasm for community events, natural diplomacy and flair for organisation made him a popular and key member of the team.   Ian balanced this voluntary role with his work as Director and owner of Beaver Travel.

Joanna Taylor, Director of Forres Events Ltd said:  “This is a terrible shock.  On a personal level I have known Ian for a number of years and am devastated by the news.  Ian will be greatly missed by all who knew him, particularly the team at Piping At Forres who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him.  The team will ensure that the event goes ahead according to plan and along the lines that Ian helped develop.”

Our heartfelt sympathies go to his wife and family.

The World Tattie Scone Championship is a hotly contested event. Picture: Marc Hindley

Forget the Great British Bake off – entry forms are now available to register for the World Tattie Scone competition which will run alongside Piping At Forres, the European Pipe Band Championships, 2015.
Full details are available on the website alongside the application form (https://pipingatforres.com/main-…/tattie-scone-championships/) but in short the aim is to make a tattie scone using a set recipe with mashed Albert Bartlett Rooster potatoes and Carr’s flour plus your own ‘magic’ ingredient to make the tastiest and most imaginative scone to win a trophy donated by the host, the Oakwood Cookery School, Elgin and the accolade of the World’s Tastiest Albert Bartlett Tattie Scone Maker 2015.
Those wishing to register for a place should download a form from the Piping At Forres website and send it to Elaine Sutherland on elaine@riversidekitchens.co.uk by 1200 hrs on Monday 22 June 2015.

Piping At Forres has won its bid to the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association to extend its current 3 year run to host the European Pipe Band Championships in the historic Moray town of Forres until 2018.

The family friendly event, brought to the town by Forres Events Ltd, a not for profit company run by a small group of business men and women in the town, was first held in 2013 under a 3 year deal to host the championships.   It has been a phenomenal success, and in early February the organisers put in a bid for a further 3 years, which was accepted by the RSPBA this week.

Chairman of Forres Events Ltd Ian Widdowson said:  “When we first looked at the idea of hosting the championships we had no idea that they would be such an incredible success.  The figures speak for themselves, £1million incremental spend in the local area, creating a benefit worth the equivalent of 20 full time jobs.    The success of the event is based on a lot of hard work from a large number of volunteers and the support of the community and it is gratifying that their effort not only makes Piping At Forres a great day out for thousands of people but translates into significant economic benefit for Forres and the local area. We are delighted that we have been given the opportunity to continue to bring this kind of economic boost to the area for another three years!”

Ian Embelton, President of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association said, of the European Championships: “The board of directors was unanimous in awarding them to Forres Events Ltd again. I look forward to being in Forres for the long term and am delighted to be continuing our relationship with the team”.

Margery McLennan, Chair of the Tourism and Culture committee of the Moray Economic Partnership said: “The Forres Events Ltd team should be justifiably proud of all they have achieved in bringing this fantastic event to Forres and in securing it until 2018. Piping At Forres is now an established part of Moray Speyside’s calendar of events, providing a great family day out and bringing significant economic benefit to the area.”

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer of Event Scotland commented that: “The European Pipe Band Championships ‐ Piping At Forres ­‐ has developed over the past two years as a standout event in the north-east of Scotland. It has demonstrated fantastic event delivery and an ability to draw a significant number of spectators and Pipe Bands, all showing high levels of satisfaction and engagement with the event.”

This year Piping At Forres will be held on Saturday 27 June in Grant Park and the organisers are seeking stallholders and sponsors, who are crucial to the success of the event.  Tickets will go on sale on 2 April. For further information see the website www.pipingatforres.com