COLCHESTER Castle Park will be filled with the sounds of Scottish pipe bands on Sunday as the venue hosts its annual Pipes in the Park.

The event, which is one of the biggest in the south of England, will see ten bands perform before crowds and judges, with 50 highland dancers also entered for the competition.

The day will start at 10am, with the final proceedings taking place at 4.30pm when all ten bands will march into the park together.

Having run since 1994, the competition maintains the links which Colchester and Essex have with Scotland, according to event organiser Jackie Allan.

She said: “There are some ex-pats around and about, but there is also a lot of influence from when the British army had a lot more pipe bands.

“Two to three generations ago, a lot of Scots farmers came to Essex because there was spare land here, and it was a damned sight easier to farm here than it was in Scotland.”

Though there may not be many born and bred Scots living in Essex, the event remains popular.

“People just love the pipes,” Mrs Allan said.

Entry to watch the performances is free of charge, and car parking will cost £2.