FIVE young pipers are promoting a music award to ensure new local musicians have a set of pipes by the time they leave school to help them pursue their musical ambitions.

Preston Lodge High School (PLHS) pupils Duncan Craig, Ethan Shearer, Ciaran Kelly, John Dunbar and Archie Thomson are bringing awareness to the Music Enterprise Award, which is a new initiative by the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust (SSPDT).

The youngsters are encouraging pupils at the school who are interested in learning how to play the bagpipes to get involved with the band.

The award was set up to ensure young pipers could own their own instrument, which usually would cost about £700 or more, to continue playing and making music to “enrich their own lives and the life of the community around them”.

The award also aims to develop transferable skills in youngsters and enhance confidence to help them through further education and work.

Usually, when a pupil begins learning pipes at PLHS, they are loaned a set of pipes from SSPDT, which are handed back when the pupil leaves school.

The Music Enterprise Award gives a pathway for the student to own their own bagpipes while developing entrepreneurial skills by using their pipes to earn money through paid gigs, busking and other fundraising activities.