Reports 2013
Please note that not every group receives direct cash aid from the Association.
West Lothian Pipers visit Meschede
SV Neptune Twinning visit to West Lothian October 2012
Fourteen swimmers ageing from 9 -19 years and nine adults travelled from Hochheim in Germany via ferry to Hull and then to Linlithgow. They stayed at LowPort Outdoor Education Centre, which was an ideal location, it enabled them to travel easily around the county and the facilities were excellent.
On the first evening there was a small reception to welcome them and help finalise their plans for their stay. On the Friday they travelled to Roslin to visit the Chapel, and then on into Edinburgh to visit the Castle. Friday night saw them arrive at St Margarets and enjoy an hour or two of swimming training with Swim West Lothian’s Performance Development and Regional squads. This allowed the young German swimmers to mingle with our own swimmers out with a competitive environment Saturday saw them heading back into Edinburgh to do individual sightseeing and shopping.
Then on Sunday they attended West Lothian International Swimming Competition, six of the West Lothian swimming clubs also attended with approximately 130 swimmers in total. It was an excellent day enjoyed by everyone. In the evening there was a traditional Scottish dinner and disco with presentation of trophies. The German party had brought some memorabilia that was shared with us that evening and we shared memorabilia from ourselves with them.The evening finished with everyone joining in for ‘on the Banks of Loch Lomond’ , this was a new experience for our German visitors who really enjoyed it.
On the Monday again they went in to Edinburgh to visit the Scottish Whisky Heritage Centre with the younger individuals visiting the Edinburgh Dungeons. In the evening there was a farewell party at the Low Port Centre. Tuesday morning saw them up early and back on the coach heading for Hull with a short stopover in York and homeward bound.
Overall the experience was well worth the effort from everyone with many new connections/ friends being made and promises for future meets being looked at for next year and beyond along with a Swimming party from West Lothian returning in the future to the International Swimming Festival- Neheim- Husten , Germany.
WL Pipers visit to Meschede January 2013
Can I take this opportunity to thank you, Hugh, Gordon, David and Jean for all your efforts in showcasing the Pipe Band at the Mescheder Wind Band concert, concluding the 40th Anniversary celebrations with our Twinning partners in Hochsauerlandkreis, Germany.
The band were perfect ambassadors and went down a storm. I’m not sure if you’re aware but the concert hall was sold out (650 people) and I’m sure the young people enjoyed their performance with a spontaneous standing ovation from the audience. In addition, the programme was recorded and broadcast on radio on the Monday evening. I’ll try and get a copy of the radio broadcast - they are actually looking for the tunes that the Pipe Band played so that they can produce a CD from this.
I thought the staff were exemplary and looked after the band members throughout the whole weekend – presume you didn’t lose any in Amsterdam?
Gordon Connolly.