Bagpiper Joshua helps locals bring in the New Year

A video of the kilt wearing, bagpipe playing young man, was posted on Facebook on New Year’s Day with the message “this lad deserves recognition”.

Subsequent comments included: “Oh bless him! This actually made me tear up!”

While another person commented: “What a great lad, well done.”

However, despite the comments and praise, everyone was still at a loss to the young lad’s identity.

Subsequent research revealed that the mystery musician is 15-year-old Joshua Nevill from Clitheroe, who learnt to play the bagpipes when he was at prep school in Dunbar near Edinburgh, Scotland.

Joshua parents David and Katie subsequently relocated to Clitheroe and Joshua, who gained a scholarship at a boarding school in Rugby, can be heard practising his bagpipes on Clitheroe Castle park when he is home.

Joshua’s father David, who is a performing arts technician at Bowland High School, Grindleton, explained that Joshua was keen to play his bagpipes at Clitheroe Castlegate on New Year’s Eve.

“However, when we got there he was desperate to walk through the town centre,” said David, “which resulted in plenty of people doing a double take!

“Next year, he wants to play outside Clitheroe Library, where the Christmas tree is, as everyone seems to congregate there.”

As well as playing his bagpipes on New Year’s Eve, Joshua took part last year in the nation’s tribute on November 11th to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Joshua played the Pipe Major William Robb composition, When the Battle’s O’er, at 6am – the time when the Armistice was actually signed on November 11th, 1918.

Joshua, whose mum Katie is a training nurse associate at the Royal Blackburn Hospital, and who has an older sister Chloe (17) who attends Queen Margaret’s School in York and a younger brother Henry (11) who goes to Bowland High School, also played his bagpipes at Clitheroe Castle parkrun event on New Year’s Day.