COLCHESTER’S official pipe band has renamed itself following after the city was formally awarded its new status.

After months of waiting, Colchester officially became a city last Wednesday following an official procession and ceremony in Colchester Town Hall.

One of the key players in that procession was Colchester City Pipe Band, which had previously been known as Colchester Pipes and Drums.

Jerry Woolf, the drum major at Colchester City Pipe Band, explained the group took the decision to change its name when they heard Colchester was to become the UK’s 76th city.

He said: “As the town became a city, we also changed the name of the band.

“We’ve also launched a new website, but we held off launching it until Thursday morning so that when the town became a city, we became a city band – they’ve both come in conjunction with one another.”

The band initially formed in 2009 as Colchester and District Pipes and Drums, and it now has 23 regular members, as well as a number of associated members for larger occasions.

“We go off to tattoo and high profile events all over the place,” he added.

 The new website can be found via: /www.colchestercitypipeband.co.uk/.