Hello everyone,

This is to all those Pipers out there who understand and appreciate exactly what Jim Bryan did for Northumbrian Piping. I am Jim's son in law, and had the good fortune to know Jim for some 28 years before ill health got the better of him. He would be tickled pink to know that his and Bill Cock's book is still being pursued around the world, albeit on e-bay.

Jim's memory lives on through the book, and through the many people that he and his wife Marion met during their life sailing the Mediterranean and then the intra-coastal waters of the USA.

I well remember Jim (and Marion) recounting the opposition and voices of disapproval that they experienced when the book was published, from those within the then close knit community of Northumbrian Pipers. I sincerely hope that after all these years those voices have now been silenced by the resurgence of interest in the Northumbrian Pipes. Let us hope that it continues to gain support or interest and that it achieves some real global recognition.

I am not a Piper, but I fully appreciated the beauty of the pipes during those wonderful President's Days here in Salisbury, when six, eight or more pipes played in unison and in harmony. The power of the haunting nature of the pipes really make an impact.

God Bless you all, and may your pipes stay in tune.

Stuart Kirkham