Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia: 2026 British Champions

Edinburgh – May 30, 2026 – With four firsts from the four judges, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia easily won the 2026 British Championship held at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, on the west side of Scotland’s capital city, against a field of eight other Grade 1 bands. The band also won the drumming in the first championships victory for Pipe-Major Emmett Conway and Lead-Drummer David Henderson.

Police Scotland & Federation made a bold return to competition after a year’s hiatus with a sixth prize, ahead of perennial prizewinners St. Laurence O’Toole and ScottishPower. The Feds were sporting Royal Stewart kilts in a nod to their roots under the legendary Glasgow/Strathclyde Police banner.

Buchan Peterson won Grade 2, while Uddingston won the drumming, and, in Grade 3B, the brand new Troon Caledonia, led by former Grade 1 Pipe-Major Kenny MacLeod, got off to a great start with a third prize and a first in drumming.

The weather was decent, with showers threatening at the march-past.

Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia marching off as 2026 British Champions:

Grade 1 (Medley, nine competed)
1st Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (Scotland) (1,1,1,1)
2nd Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland) (2,2,5,2)
3rd Inveraray & District (Scotland) (5,3,3,3)
4th Police Scotland Fife (Scotland) (3,5,7,4)
5th Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland) (8,8,2,5) (Ens.Pref.)
6th Police Scotland & Federation (Scotland) (4,4,9,6)
7th St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland) (7,7,4,7)
8th Scottish Power (Scotland) (6,6,8,8)
9th Ravara (Northern Ireland) (9,9,6,9)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Cameron Edgar (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Jim Semple (ensemble)

Grade 2 (MSR)
1st Buchan Peterson (Scotland) (2,2,2,2)
2nd Royal Burgh of Annan (Scotland) (1,3,3,5)
3rd TEXO Deeside Caledonian (Scotland) (6,5,5,1) (Ens.Pref.)
4th Bucksburn & District (Scotland) (3,1,7,6)
5th Grampian Police Scotland (Scotland) (5,4,11,3)
5th Uddingston (Scotland) (10,10,1,4)
6th Manorcunningham (Ireland) (7,9,4,8)
7th Johnstone (Scotland) (8,7,8,7)
8th Coalburn IOR (Scotland) (4,6,12,9)
9th Oban (Scotland) (9,8,9,11)
10th Mackenzie Caledonian (Scotland) (12,12,6,10)
11th Denny & Dunipace (Scotland) (11,11,10,12)
12th City of Edinburgh (Scotland) (13,13,13,13)
Judges: Don Bradford, Barry Donaldson (piping); Lee Innes (drumming); Tom Brown (ensemble)

Grade 3A (Medley)
1st Burntisland & District (Scotland) (1,1,3,1)
2nd Macanta (England) (2,2,2,2)
3rd Livingston Caledonia (Scotland) (5,4,1,6)
4th Dunbar RBL (Scotland) (4,6,6,3)
5th Major Sinclair Memorial (Northern Ireland) 3,3,9,5)
6th Elgin & District (Scotland) (7,7,5,4)
7th City of London (England) (6,5,10,8)
8th Cloughfin (Northern Ireland) (10,8,13,7)
9th Arbroath (Scotland) (9,10,11,11)
10th Methil & District (Scotland) (8,11,15,9)
11th City of Discovery (Scotland)  (14,9,8,13) (Ens.Pref.)
12th City of Stirling (Scotland) (12,14,4,14)
13th Concord (The Netherlands) (16,17,7,12)
14th City of Inverness (Scotland) (15,13,16,10)
15th Uddingston Strathclyde (Scotland) (13,15,12,15)
16th Scottish Borders (Scotland) (17,12,14,16)
17th City of Newcastle (England) 11,16,18,17)
18th German Thistle (Germany) (18,18,17,18)
Judges: Iain Simpson, Grant Walker (piping); David Brown (drumming); Colin Moffett (ensemble)

Grade 3B (Medley)
1st Govan (Scotland) (1,1,5,1
2nd Rothesay & District (Scotland) (2,2,11,2)
3rd Troon Caledonia (Scotland) (8,5,1,4)
4th The J1225 (Scotland) (6,4,9,3) (Ens.Pref.)
5th Culter & District (Scotland) (3,3,10,6)
6th Kilbarchan (Scotland) (5,7,3,8)
7th Williamwood (Scotland) (4,6,7,12)
8th Lower Clyde (Scotland) (11,12,2,5)
9th Stockbridge (Scotland) (9,11,4,7)
10th Wallacestone & District (Scotland) (12,10,6,11)
11th Fraserburgh RBL (Scotland) (10,9,13,10)
12th East Ayrshire Caledonia (Scotland) (7,8,15,15)
13th Camelon & District (Scotland) (13,13,8,14)
14th Vale of Atholl (Scotland) (15,14,12,9)
15th Binbrook Lightnings (England) (14,15,14,13)
Judges: Peter Hunt, Ross Walker (piping); Arthur Cook (drumming; Alex Dudgeon (ensemble)

Juvenile,(MSR)
1st George Wastson’s College (Scotland) (1,2,1,2)
2nd Dollar Academy (Scotland) (3,1,2,1)
3rd Preston Lodge High School (Scotland) (2,4,3,3)
4th George Heriot’s School (Scotland) (5,3,4,4)
5th Lochgelly High School (Scotland) (6,5,5,5)
6th West Lothian Schools (Scotland) (4,6,6,6)
Judges: Don Bradford, Barry Donaldson (piping); Lee Innes (drumming); Tom Brown (ensemble)

Grade,4A,(Prescribed,MSR)
1st Moneygore (Northern Ireland) (3,2,1,1)
2nd Ratae (England) (2,3,3,2) (Ens.Pref.)
3rd City of St Andrews (Scotland) (1,1,4,4)
4th Kirkcaldy & District (Scotland) (5,4,2,3)
5th City of Discovery (Scotland) (7,8,9,5)
6th Strathendrick (Scotland) (4,6,11,9)
7th Denny & Dunipace (Scotland) (6,10,8,7)
8th City of Plymouth (England) (8,7,12,6)
9th RAF Lossiemouth BAE Systems (Scotland) (10,12,7,8)
10th Mid-Argyll (Scotland) (9,9,13,10)
11th Barrhead & District (12,5,14,11)
12th Perth & District (Scotland) (11,14,6,13)
13th Penicuik & District (Scotland) (13,11,10,12) (Ens.Pref.)
14th Kinross & District (Scotland) (14,13,5,14)
Judges: Iain Simpson, Grant Walker (piping); David Brown (drumming); Colin Moffett (ensemble)

Grade 4B (Prescribed Marches)
1st Troon Boys Brigade (2,1,4,2)
2nd East Kilbride (1,2,7,3)
3rd Kilbarchan (5,3,2,4)
4th Lanark & District (3,4,8,8)
5th Paisley & District RBL (7,8,5,6) (Ens.Pref.)
6th Arbroath (4,5,10,7)
7th Uddingston Strathclyde (6,9,12,1)
8th Queensferry (10,6,3,10)
9th Irvine & District (11,10,6,5)
10th Dumfries (8,7,13,9)
11th Stockbridge (14,14,1,13)
12th Troon Blackrock (9,13,9,12)
13th Dunoon Argyll (12,11,11,11)
14th Warrington (13,12,15,14)
15th Kincardine & District (15,15,14,15)
Judges: Peter Hunt, Ross Walker (piping); Arthur Cook (drumming; Alex Dudgeon (ensemble)

Novice A (Prescribed MSR)
1st High School of Dundee (1,1,6,1)
2nd George Watson’s College (5,3,1,2) (Ens.Pref.)
3rd Renfrewshire Schools (2,2,4,3)
4th North Lanarkshire Schools (4,4,2,4)
5th Oban High School (3,5,9,5)
6th Dollar Academy (7,7,3,6)
8th Lochgelly High School Junior (6,9,5,8)
9th George Heriot’s School (8,10,7,7)
10th St. Columba’s School Kilmacolm (10,8,8,10)
11th Erskine Stewarts Melville Schools (9,6,11,11)
12th Falkirk Schools (11,11,12,9)
14th Preston Lodge High School (12,12,10,12)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Cameron Edgar (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Jim Semple (ensemble))

Novice B (Prescribed Marches)
1st Stirling & District Schools Junior (1,1,8,7)
2nd Edinburgh Academy (2,4,5,3) (Ens.Pref.)
3rd Isle of Arran Music School (3,5,9,5)
4th St. Columba’s School Kilmacolm (4,2,14,9)
5th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (5,7,12,13)
6th Oban High School (6,6,3,2)
7th Glasgow Academy (7,9,2,12)
8th Balerno & District Schools (8,10,1,1)
9th Burntisland & District (9,14,7,4)
10th North Lanarkshire Schools (10,8,4,6)
11th High School of Dundee (11,11,10,14)
12th West Lothian Schools (12,16,13,11)
13th Dollar Academy (13,122,6,8)
14th Bucksburn & District Novice (14,3,11,10)
15th Preston Lodge (15,13,18,16)
16th Renfrewshire Schools Development (16,15,15,15)
17th 47th Culter Boys Brigade (17,17,17,18) (Ens.Pref.)
18th Falkirk Schools ’25 (18,18,16,17)
Judges: Don Bradford, Barry Donaldson (piping); Lee Innes (drumming); Tom Brown (ensemble))