Scotland’s young musicians awarded £50,000 funding by Eilidh’s Trust
A ukulele group, pipe bands, and musical theatre groups are among the young Scottish musicians to benefit from over £50,000 of funding from the Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust.
A total of £53,400 is being made available to over 80 young musicians and youth music groups from Shetland to the Borders by the trust (full list and locations below). This is the largest amount of funding the charity has issued in a single round with over 2000 young musicians supported across all genres and disciplines of music.
Over 100 applications were received which is a considerable increase on last year’s funding round. This meant the charity had some very tough decisions to make about how to distribute the funding.
The trust supports music education for young people reflecting Eilidh’s own love of music and her musical ability and enjoyment as a piper with the local pipe band. The trust will also manage and maintain a permanent memorial to Eilidh and a garden of remembrance and reflection on Barra.
Today’s announcement means the trust has now issued over £150,000 worth of small grants to youth music groups across Scotland.
Iagan MacNeil of Eilidh’s Trust said: “This funding round shows that we are succeeding in our mission to build a musical legacy for Eilidh having now issued almost 200 grants since 2018. We are heartened to know that our 2025 funding will allow over 2000 children and young people to grow in their talent and confidence.
“While our financial support this year covers a broad range of genres and disciplines in all parts of Scotland, we have seen an increase in requests to help alleviate the costs associated with music lessons. By removing financial barriers to tuition, we are helping young people to continue to realise their ambitions without fear of impacting under-pressure family budgets.”
Iagan added: “The response to our recent funding rounds clearly demonstrates there is a need for a charity like Eilidh’s Trust where people can turn to as other music funding opportunities reduce. We are immensely proud of the work we do and are very grateful to everyone who supports us through fundraising. We urge people to continue donating and fundraising so we can have an even greater impact on more young people in the years to come. You can donate to Eilidh’s Trust via our JustGiving page.”
2025 recipient | Genre/instrument | Local authority area |
Aurora Ekaterina Terris* | Classical guitar | Aberdeen |
The Deeside Cello Project | Cello | Aberdeenshire |
Catriona Bergman* | Oboe | Aberdeenshire |
Alford Academy Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Aberdeenshire |
Kayla Downie* | Musical theatre | Aberdeenshire |
Banffshire Community Band | Multi instrument | Aberdeenshire |
Forfar Instrumental Band | Brass | Angus |
DD8 Music | Music production | Angus |
Katie Robertson* | Piping | Angus |
Taynuilt Clarsach (harp) lessons | Clarsach (harp) | Argyll and Bute |
Tobermory High School | Pipe band drumming | Argyll and Bute |
Comunn Gaidhealach Mhuile | Choral | Argyll and Bute |
Forefront Stage School | Musical theatre | Clackmannanshire |
Caroline Maciver* | Choral | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
Sorcha MacDougall* | Song | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
Fèis Tir an Eorna | Traditional music tuition | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
Alice Reid* | Strings | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
Fèis Bharraigh | Multi instrument | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar |
Doonhamer Junior Brass | Brass | Dumfries and Galloway |
Fèis an Iar Dheas | Traditional music tuition | Dumfries and Galloway |
The Galloway Violin Studio | Violin | Dumfries and Galloway |
Alison Dawson* | Music lessons | Dumfries and Galloway |
Annan Academy | Multi instrument | Dumfries and Galloway |
Sheila Morrison* | Piano | Dumfries and Galloway |
Dumfries Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Dumfries and Galloway |
Dumfries Drum Day | Drumming | Dumfries and Galloway |
Ross D’Arcy* | Multi instrument | Dumfries and Galloway |
Katie Nicoll* | Song | Dundee |
EPIC (East Ayrshire Pipe Band Academy) | Pipes and drums | East Ayrshire |
Ayrshire Traditional Music School | Trad | East Ayrshire |
Cliodhna Scott* | Flute | East Lothian |
Boroughmuir High School Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Edinburgh |
Balerno and District Schools Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Edinburgh |
A.R.Ts Afternoon | Samba | Edinburgh |
Heather McCann Music | Range of music making classes | Falkirk |
Helen Kallow* | Bassoon and oboe | Falkirk |
Scouts Scotland Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Fife |
Lochgelly Band | Tuition materials | Fife |
Kirkaldy YMCA | Song and multi instrument | Fife |
St. Roch’s Ceilidh Band | Folk and trad | Glasgow |
Ruairidh Iain MacNeil Gray* | Song | Glasgow |
Finlay Morrison* | Song | Glasgow |
The Glasgow Youth Choir | Choral | Glasgow |
Ard-sgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu | Music and song composition | Glasgow |
The Folks’ Music Project CIC | Folk and trad | Glasgow |
Mallaig, Ardnamurchan and District Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Highland |
Megan Campbell* | Flute | Highland |
Pentland Brass Band | Brass | Highland |
Tom Campbell* | Saxophone | Highland |
Skye Youth Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Highland |
Golspie Primary School Parent Council | Guitar | Highland |
Fèis na h-Oige | Traditional music tuition | Highland |
Fèis Chataibh | Traditional music tuition | Highland |
Fèis Spè | Traditional music tuition | Highland |
Riverside Youth Band | Brass | Inverclyde |
Newtongrange Development Trust | Musical theatre | Midlothian |
Borthwick and District Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Midlothian |
Elgin and District Pipe Band | Pipes and drums | Moray |
Deborah Connelly* | Trumpet | Moray |
Buckie and District Pipeband | Pipes and drums | Moray |
Linzee Gordon Community Play Park | Sensory music panel | Moray |
Isle of Arran Music School | Pipes and drums | North Ayrshire |
Garnock Valley Pipes and Drums | Pipes and drums | North Ayrshire |
Lynn O’Neill* | Harp | North Lanarkshire |
Wishaw and District Brigade Band | Woodwind | North Lanarkshire |
Cumbernauld Community Piping Group | Pipes and drums | North Lanarkshire |
Natalie Clitheroe* | Fiddle | Orkney |
Murray Nicholl* | Choral | Perth and Kinross |
Innes Marr* | Piping | Perth and Kinross |
Peebles String Orchestra CIC | String | Scottish Borders |
Yelena Anderson* | Folk and trad | Shetland |
Shetland Youth Orchestra | Multi instrument | Shetland |
Leonardo Del Din* | Jazz | South Lanarkshire |
Dalziel High School Concert Band | Multi instrument | South Lanarkshire |
Ignite Arts SCIO | BSL music lessons | Across Lanarkshire |
Balquhidder Pipers and Wee Whistlers | Pipes and drums/whistles | Stirling |
Zoe Ritchie Leparoux* | Choral | Stirling |
Stirling Gang Show | Dance and song | Stirling |
Dumbarton Academy | Choral | West Dunbartonshire |
Marianne Docherty* | Piano and singing | West Lothian |
Star Harmonies LTD | Musical theatre | West Lothian |
At the Root Arts CIC | Ukulele | West Lothian |
Beth Mackinnon* | Piano | West Lothian |
* Denotes an individual recipient, either applying for themselves or an adult applying on behalf of the young person
New music access fund in memory of Eilidh MacLeod
A new music access fund for young musicians has been created by the National Piping Centre with funding made available by the Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust.
The Eilidh MacLeod Access Fund will provide support to young pipers and drummers by removing the financial barriers to learning and encourage the aspiring musicians to progress with their learning journey.
The £2000-per-year access fund will be administered by the National Piping Centre and is open to applications from new and existing participants, aged under 25, across selected National Piping Centre
Funding will be available across a range of National Piping Centre Youth & Communities programmes and will be used to provide subsidised or free places and financial support towards travel and accommodation.
Eilidh’s Trust has made the funding available as part of its mission to support youth music education across Scotland, to reflect Eilidh’s own love of music and ability as a musician with the local school pipe band. Eilidh was also a member of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland which operates under the umbrella of the National Piping Centre.
The trust was established as a volunteer-run small grants charity in 2018 and has since distributed more than £100,000 to young musicians and music groups across Scotland, ranging from pipe bands and choirs to pianists and brass bands. This new partnership is in addition to the charity’s annual funding round.
Iagan MacNeil of Eilidh’s Trust said: “We are committed to making music learning as accessible as possible for all and we understand that financial barriers are often a reason for young people to either not embark on their journey or dropping out. By providing this new access fund via a partnership with the National Piping Centre we can realise that ambition.”
“Learning an instrument can be such an enriching experience that offers more than music. It creates an environment for young people to not only grow their musical abilities but also develop their social and team building skills, as well as creating lifelong friendships.”
Iagan added: “Thank you to the National Piping Centre team for this wonderful opportunity to support so many young people in music, ensuring their talents are developed and not lost due to financial worries.”
Callum Stamper, Commercial Director of The National Piping Centre added: “We are delighted to partner with the Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust with whom we are steadfastly aligned in our shared vision for inspiring young musicians and breaking down barriers to access and participation. We look forward to welcoming the first recipients of the Eilidh MacLeod Access Fund onto our programmes in the coming weeks!”
Information on the Eilidh MacLeod Access Fund and how to apply is available via the National Piping Centre website: NPC Eilidh MacLeod Access Fund information.
Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust
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