A YOUNG piper has finished on the podium at a virtual world championships.

Charlie Mack, 11, of Port Seton, came third in the 12 years and under category at the World Online Solo Piping Championships.

The S1 pupil at Preston Lodge High School was one of more than 1,500 entries in the global competition, run by Jori Chisholm of bagpipelessons.com

Lee Moore, pipe major at Preston Lodge High School Pipe Band, congratulated Charlie.

He said: “Charlie has been working very hard during lockdown and entered quite a few online solo competitions.

“His results have improved each time, culminating in this top three result in a World Championships. The band and school are immensely proud of Charlie for the effort and perseverance he has demonstrated, and it’s great to see this rewarded.

“This good news comes at the same weekend as we should have been competing at the World Pipe Band Championships which, unfortunately, had to be cancelled.

“Big thanks to Charlie for giving us all something to cheer about!”

Proud dad Danny, who runs Port Seton-based seafood specialists Neptune’s Larder, said his son was “astonished” and as “high as a kite” afterwards.

He said: “They all got the chance to take up the chanter halfway through primary four at Cockenzie Primary School.

“That was when he was about seven or eight years old.

“He is the first piper in the family, although his sister, Annaliese, who is in S5 at Preston Lodge, joined the band three years ago as a tenor drummer.”