THE Benarty Pipe Band and Highland Dance competition returned to Lochore Meadows on Saturday. 

Organised by the Benarty Events Group (BEG), which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary,  the event saw record entries with 28 bands in the pipe band competition and 38 performances.

Highland dancers also competed on the day, thanks to the Sarah Hendry School of Dance who organised the dancing competition. 

This year the honour of chieftain was bestowed on local piping hero Tom Brown.

Starting off at Ballingry High School pipe band under the watchful eye of Robert Shepherd, Tom has had a very successful competition career and was pipe major at the school as well as Dysart and Dundonald Pipe Band.

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In later years he became involved in teaching and held a post at Lochgelly High School. Currently, he is heavily involved with The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association as an adjudicator and is the principal of musicianship at the RSPBA College of Education.

A spokesperson for BEG said: "Bands came from all over Scotland and it was fantastic to have four Grade One bands competing for the £600 first prize.

Winners of the main event was the Inveraray & District Pipe Band. Second place went to Fife Police Pipe Band and the Scottish Power Pipe Band was third.

There were nine entries in the Grade Two category with City of Edinburgh Pipes and Drums taking the first prize with George Watson College second, and Uddingston & District in third.

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Sarah Hendry welcomed Highland Dancers from as far afield as Huntly to take part in her renowned competition. All sections were keenly competed for.

Chairman of BEG, Eddie Easson, said: “We have a hard core of volunteers who pull out all the stops to get the event ready as the event gets bigger so does the pressure on the committee to raise the finance needed.” 

BEG went on to thank Tom Brown for being their chieftain this year and his lovely words about the group, the RSPBA for their assistance in putting the event on, and Sarah Hendry for the brilliant Highland Dancing competition.

They also thanked the Lochore Meadows park staff and BRAG for all their help and their 'Barmy Army of volunteers' who make their events possible.

He added: "Without them, we don’t know what we would do."