Bagpipe Busker hailed as Homecoming hero
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An amateur bagpiper who busked across America to raise money for charity and promote Scotland’s Homecoming celebrations is being hailed as a hero in Glasgow.
Thirty-two year-old Rob Calder from Edinburgh is returning to the city following a seven-week trip across the US in which he raised £5,000 for a support group for people with disabilities and promoted Glasgow piping events – Piping Live! and the World Pipe Band Championships - to more than 5 million people.
Rob, who is originally from Glasgow, was made redundant earlier this year and conceived of his ‘Bagpipe Busker’ project “to do something extraordinary” before returning to work.
His main motivation for the trip was to see America and raise money for a charity that his mother supports, but he drew further inspiration from Homecoming Scotland 2009, a national celebration that marks the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns with more than 400 events throughout the year.
During his epic journey, which started in New York on 9 June and finished in San Francisco on 26 July, Rob crossed 15 US States relying entirely on the goodwill of Americans with Scottish connections for accommodation and hospitality. He also offered to “play for a stay”, which caught the imagination of the US media and turned him into something of a celebrity.
An alliance with VisitScotland meant that almost everywhere Rob went TV and radio interviews were set up for him to promote Homecoming and the World Pipe Band Championships and Piping Live! in particular. A total of 36 media interviews were arranged, including on NBC’s legendary ‘TODAY Show’, reaching a combined audience of almost five million people.
Further weight was added to the campaign, with the issue of a video news release about Rob by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) and an online competition run jointly by GCMB and VisitScotland to win a trip to ‘The Worlds’ in 2010, which attracted more than 3,400 entrants.
In total, Rob raised £2,584 for Ecas – an Edinburgh based support group for people with disabilities - by busking, with a further £2,551 added through donations via his website www.bagpipebusker.com. Visit the site to read Rob’s blog and watch videos on YouTube.
Rob Calder, said, “When I came up with the idea I was initially apprehensive about what the reaction would be from Americans. However the trip really reaffirmed my faith in human nature and I was overwhelmed by the number of people who followed me online or offered me a place to stay.
“The amount I raised was beyond expectation, and I thank everyone who donated, either live or online. Six weeks wasn't long enough to see all of the States, so I won't rule out a return journey in the future!"
Bailie Liz Cameron, Chair of Culture and Sport Glasgow and Vice-Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau who presented Rob with VIP tickets to Glasgow’s piping events, commented, “This year more than ever Glasgow’s piping events have benefited from a co-ordinated national and international marketing campaign involving several different agencies and Rob has been a huge part of that.
“He has tirelessly promoted ‘The Worlds’ and Piping right across the USA and it is my vey great pleasure to offer him the most sincere thanks of all concerned.”
Fiona Stewart, Consumer PR Manager for North America, VisitScotland added, “Rob has done himself and Homecoming Scotland 2009 proud with his bagpipe busk around the States and we have been delighted to provide him with support on his venture. We know how many people in North America are interested in their Scottish ancestry and want to visit Scotland, look into their history and see the country. It was great that Rob was able to take a taste of Scotland over and also drive awareness of the World Pipe Band Championships and Piping Live! on his travels.”
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Note to Editors
Piping Live! Glasgow International Piping Festival takes place in Glasgow from 10 – 16 August across various city venues. The World Pipe Band Championships, which attract 8,000 pipers and drummers from across the world, are at Glasgow Green on 15 August. Tickets are still available for both at www.seeglasgow.com/piping.
Homecoming Scotland 2009 is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country’s national tourism agency. The initiative is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund.
As well as Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland events are also celebrating some of the other great contributions Scotland has given the world – golf, whisky, great Scottish minds and innovations, and as the ancestral home to millions of people around the world.
Homecoming aims to engage Scots at home as well as motivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland to take part in an international celebration of Scottish culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given the world. www.homecomingscotland2009.com
VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland. The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors.
- To provide information - and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland.
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations.
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau is the official destination marketing organisation for Glasgow, engaged in national and international activity comprising: development and implementation of the city branding campaign: Glasgow: Scotland with style; event creation, attraction, management and marketing; conventions, incentives, meetings and exhibitions sales; conference and event accommodation bookings and optimisation of the website www.seeglasgow.com.
10 August 2009