Innerleithen Pipe Band first took to the competition circuit on a regular basis back in 1986 under the then Pipe Major Don Blair. For over 20 years now, the band has been active on the pipe band competition circuit at Grade 4 level, with the band taking every opportunity to play up into Grade 3 when the chance arose in order to broaden experience. There have been some notable successes such as winning the Falkirk contest in 1989 and being awarded the RSPBA Lothian & Borders Branch Champion of Champions title in the early 1990s. Towards the end of 1997, the band found itself struggling to make the numbers required to compete regularly and actually only played in 3 contests towards the end of that year. The competing future of the band looked bleak. Peebles Ex-Servicemen’s Pipe Band had been experiencing similar problems at the same time. A solution was required in order to prevent the death of competitive pipe bands in Tweeddale.

 

During the close season at the end of 1997, discussions took place between the playing members of both Innerleithen and Peebles Ex-servicemen’s Pipe Bands with a view to forming a competing band from the playing members of both bands, in order to maintain a competing presence in the district of Tweeddale. A formal meeting was held in the Green Tree Hotel Peebles in early 1998, the outcome being the formation of a new band TWEEDVALE PIPE BAND, whose purpose was to be a competition band. Each band, Innerleithen and Peebles Ex-servicemen’s, was to retain its identity for non-competing engagements and training purposes. This effectively meant that the enlarged group of players formed one band but played under three different names depending on circumstances. It was understood at the outset that the arrangements as laid out were to allow for the development of new players and that at some unspecified point in the future, if either band felt that their playing resources were up to it, they could withdraw from the agreement and re-establish a competing presence on their own. It was also agreed at the meeting that both Innerleithen and Peebles Ex-Servicemen’s would resign their memberships of the RSPBA in favour of the new band.

 

The new Tweedvale name was duly registered with the RSPBA and the playing members transferred their registrations to this band. After a few months intensive practice the band made its debut as Tweedvale at the Dunbar contest in May 1998. The first seeds of unrest with the arrangements described above were uncovered later in the year when it became apparent that the Peebles band had NOT resigned their RSPBA membership as had been previously agreed.

 

At the end of the 1998 season several of the “Peebles” members, acting individually, left Tweedvale to pursue their band careers with other bands, leading to a totally misleading impression locally that Tweedvale was in fact a take-over of the Peebles band by the Innerleithen band. This was never the case – an unfortunate co-incidence of circumstances led to that very mistaken belief. This and other unfounded rumours started and continued to bubble away at the edges and under the surface of the band, but the majority of members continued to enjoy their piping and drumming under the new regime and the band proceeded under these arrangements for several years.

 

The first success the band achieved came in 2000 when the band achieved a 6^th place at the European Championships and a 1^st place at North Berwick contest as well as several other places at minor contest

 

2001 saw the band achieve a 3^rd place at the Scottish Championships but the rest of the year was a consolidation of this achievement.

 

2002 was a stellar year for the band. The band had a really good close season, most likely due to a trip that was arranged for the band in February to play at the Carnival in Baasrode, Belgium. This really brought the band together in both social and playing terms. It also meant that the band hit the competing season running and blew the competition away with an outstanding run of results in May, winning every single competition that was entered including the Scottish Championships in Grade 4B. Success continued all throughout the season though it tailed off slightly from the amazing starting month. Highlights of the year included 1^st places at the Scottish and Cowal Championships, 2^nd place at the British, 3^rd place at the Europeans and 5^th place at the Worlds, as well as a clutch of 1^st places in minor contests. At the end of the year the band was promoted from Grade 4B to 4A.

 

2003 was another good year for the band, with 3^rd place prizes being picked up at the Scottish and European Championships as well as several awards at the minor contests including 1^st places at Bathgate and North Berwick.

 

2004 was a slightly disappointing playing season for the band with results not quite as good in the previous two years in terms of Major Championships, with only a 4^th place at Cowal obtained, though a good few prizes were achieved at local contests. At the end of the season there were tentative discussions with Penicuik and District Pipe Band about the possibility of a merger between that band and Tweedvale. This even got as far as several joint practices being held but in the end nothing was to come of it. At the same time, the members of Peebles Ex-Servicemen’s Pipe Band held a meeting, which members of Tweedvale and Penicuik attended, during the course of which it became clear that certain individuals had decided that Peebles Ex-servicemen’s Pipe Band was going to withdraw from Tweedvale. Thus the original intention of Tweedvale Pipe Band was thwarted. However the remaining members felt it was important to retain the Tweedvale name as it was established on the pipe band competition circuit, and an awful lot of unnecessary effort would have to be expended in establishing another band name on the band circuit.

 

The 2005 season was a year of consolidation for the band with a few prizes picked up along the way, including a 6^th place at the Scottish Championships.

 

That, in summary, is the history of Tweedvale Pipe Band and explains why one band has two names.