Young musicians of the future are blossoming thanks to the memory of a much-loved teenager who lost her life in the Manchester Arena bombing atrocity. Eilidh MacLeod, who was just 14, loved to play the bagpipes – and her legacy is now helping others achieve their musical dreams. Eilidh’s Trust was established to support music education for young people across Scotland. It’s now been revealed that more than 2,000 youngsters will benefit, with the combined total of grants distributed topping the £100,000 mark. Eilidh lived with her family on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Her bagpipe band were placed in the World Pipe Band Championships in 2016, a fact the public inquiry into the 2017 bombing was told filled her with a huge sense of pride. READ MORE: Paul McCartney announces UK shows including two nights in Manchester Details of the charity’s 2024 funding round have been released and show that a total of 52 individuals and groups from Orkney to Dumfries are benefiting from support of over £43,000. Almost 70 applications for support were received, the highest number ever submitted during a funding call. It takes the total number of grants made since the trust was established in 2018 to over 100 and their combined value to over £100,000. Recipients range from choirs and pipe bands to cellists, brass bands and classical pianists. A spokesperson said: “Eilidh’s Trust funding will be used in a variety of ways, including instrument purchases and travel and accommodation to attend competitions and festivals. It will also be critical in maintaining access to affordable or free music tuition by removing barriers for those whose financial situation would normally force them to stop participating in lessons and music activities.” Trust founder Suzanne White said: “We are beyond thrilled to make this funding available to support 2,000 young musicians across Scotland. The funding will make a considerable impact to the skills and confidence of those we are supporting and have a positive impact on the future of Scotland’s music scene across many disciplines and genres. “We’re delighted to be a part of that and building Eilidh’s legacy through these young people and ensuring financial barriers to tuition are being reduced or removed all together. “We are a small grants charity and to have gone through the £100,000 barrier is more than we ever imagined when we set out in 2018. This just shows that Eilidh’s story has the power to make a positive change in the future. We are delighted that we are able to do this for her.” The charity’s blurb reveals: “Eilidh was a keen bagpiper and was developing into a talented musician. She played in the local pipe band, often travelling and competing with them. Making music was something very special for Eilidh, giving her a confidence that other pastimes hadn’t quite achieved. “A major part of Eilidh’s life was her love of music. She was a huge fan of American singer Ariana Grande – the artist she went to see at Manchester Arena in May 2017 where she sadly died along with 21 others in the attack on the venue.” At the public inquiry, Eilidh’s family described her as ‘the warmest girl that you could ever meet’. Eilidh’s family – her parents, Roderick and Marion, and sisters, Shona and Laura – spoke movingly of her life, and the family compiled a video tribute which was played at the inquiry. The video showed beautiful, scenic images from the Isle of Barra, all set to Scottish pipe music. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a rucksack bomb in the City Room area of Manchester Arena after the concert. Hashem Abedi, his brother, is currently serving a 55-year minimum sentence after being convicted over the atrocity.
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