A PIPER from the Rosneath peninsula has dusted off the lockdown cobwebs on his bagpipes by taking part in his first ever solo competition.

Roddy Garden, from Cove, raised more than £7,000 for Children's Hospices Across Scotland last year after playing tunes while crossing Loch Long on a floating bicycle.

The 51-year-old, who works in the film and TV industry and is a member of the Helensburgh Clan Colquhoun Pipe Band, earned himself the description of 'extreme piper' in 2017, when a video of him playing 'Scotland the Brave' while bungee jumping across a gorge over the River Garry in Perthshire went viral.

But his latest feat proves that there's a serious side to Roddy's piping exploits too.

READ MORE: 'Extreme bagpiper' Roddy presents £7,000 cheque to CHAS after Loch Long cycle challenge

The Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers (CLASP) was forced to hold their tournament online this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

But that didn’t put off Roddy, who entered into the piobaireachd, march, reel and Strathspey classes using only video platform Zoom and voice recording on his phone.

Roddy said: “My piping tutor, Donald McPhee, told me about the online CLASP competition and encouraged me to go for it.

“Being the first time I’ve ever competed in a solo competition, it felt OK that it was online, although I was a bit nervous.

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“The whole experience was quite good and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

And his efforts weren’t in vain, with Roddy picking up fifth place in the march class playing Prince Charles’ “Welcome to Lochaber”.

Roddy is now planning to compete in the online world solo amateur piping competition on August 8.

“I’m looking forward to that competition,” he added, “but I have an awful lot of work and practice to do before then.”