TRADITIONAL Scottish pipers from Britain’s biggest Army base have taken their expertise to the other side of the world.

They spent three weeks teaching South American cadets how to get to grips with the complicated instrument.

A three-man team from 4 SCOTS the Highlanders, based at Catterick Garrison, was flown all the way out to Cartegena for their piping mission.

Their task was to help the Colombian Navy Officers Academy’s small pipe band prepare for their annual commissioning parade, a spectacular event in their annual calendar..

The links between this country and the academy have been forged over the past 30 years as pipers and drummers have been sent across the Atlantic to help train the navy’s band.

However the Catterick team admitted that the climate change from the cold of North Yorkshire took a bit of getting used to.

And it took them sometime to acclimatise to the soaring temperatures in South America - which they soon realised also played havoc with the instruments.

Their spokesman Lance Corporal Dixon said: “We found their kit was quite old and had suffered a lot in the Caribbean sun and humidity.

“So after some essential first aid on the pipes and drums the cadets began their training in earnest.

“We had three weeks to prepare the band for the commissioning parade so the pressure was really on.

“The President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos who had been a piper himself at the Navy Academy nearly 50 years ago and was known to be a tough man to please, was coming to the event.

“The team and cadets worked really hard, fitting practice around the cadets’ long training days.”

He went on: “After a final week of rehearsals, sometimes until as late as ten o’clock at night, we were ready.

“The crowd was gathered and the cadets all stood on parade with their rifles and boots gleaming.

“The president was there, and as the pipe band struck up we held our breath - but they performed their set perfectly and the crowd loved it.

“At the end of the parade the team marched on and performed a short set for the president, after which he came down and thanked us all for our efforts.”

Lance Cpl Dixon added: “It was wonderful, and really worthwhile.”