Meet the Drummers

Our Drum Corps now boasts 2 bass drummers, 3 tenor drummers and a fair few snare drummers, not to mention a beautiful set of drums.

We’d like to introduce you to all our drummers – the real people who make up our band.

Pixie Murray

Snare drummer

Our youngest drummer Pixie is just 15 years old and sister to our youngest piper Daniel. Pixie lives way up in Sutherland on the family croft. She started playing the drums in February 2018 taking lessons with The Royal Burgh of Tain Pipeband, earning her place in that band in August. Pixie loves to collect drum sticks and now has them in most colours !

Pixie loves Steven McWhirter and sausage rolls.

She hopes to study Chemical Physics, and is currently working really hard to get the grades in her Highers. Free university tuition and freedom of movement are really important to her for her future plans.

Nick Dawson

Snare Drummer

Nick is the only member of the band who lives in England – he’s currently based in deepest Suffolk, so does a huge amount of travelling to join us at practices and marches !

After a military career in both the Royal Navy and Royal Airforce he is now semi- retired working in the NHS. Nick learned to drum in the Army and Sea Cadets as a boy. At home he also plays the Highland and Small pipes.

Nick has played a drum on some of the major battlefields of Europe and America as a Historical Reenactor in Jacobite, Napoleonic and American Civil War groups.

Cheryl Scott

Bass Drummer

Cheryl lives in Galashiels in the Borders . She’s a retired nurse .She spends her time playing the bass drum ,learning the bodhrun,and looking after horses .

If you pass her stables you might be lucky enough to hear some of the band practising there.The horses love it

Alex Thomson

Bass Drummer

Alex lives in Coldstream, where he works full time with his wife Joy as a Company Director (he loves the challenge … and the money). In his spare time he is Vice Chairman of Coldstream Pipe Band which he joined about 15 years ago.

His ambition from a young age was to play the side drum but never took the opportunity until he came to live in the town 18 years ago. He went to practice for a few weeks and sadly found he had a lazy left hand – a legacy from his rugby days and couldn’t co-ordinate well enough.

Undaunted, he offered to be the bass drummer, one night In Bennecourt – (Coldstreams Twin Town near Paris). After an evening of champers, red wine and brandy He had enough Dutch courage to ask the Pipe Major, Robert Bell – and he accepted! The Band has travelled frequently to gigs in France and Spain over the years and He has have loved every minute of it.
He says playing with Saor Alba is a pleasure and privilege and the prize of Independence for Scotland is very exciting.

Bruce Bell

Side Drummer

When not working as a telecomms manager or strapped to a snare drum, Bruce might be found kayaking on river or sea, or perhaps on his mountain bike, enjoying some of the superb trails around his Hobbit hole in the Borders.