Talk of the Town: Marching bands jump up and down for Macca

HE'S played with some of the greatest musicians in rock 'n' roll history – so you would forgive a group of local pipers for being a wee bit nervous at being signed up by Sir Paul McCartney.

The Beatles legend has enlisted two East Lothian pipe bands to back him at Hampden stadium. The superstar will perform Mull of Kintyre with members of Loretto Pipe Band and East Lothian Pipes and Drums Trust at Sunday's gig.

Being professionals, of course, the bands won't be getting too carried away. Simon Lowe, the head of expressive arts at Loretto School in Musselburgh, East Lothian, epitomised this attitude when he admitted: "We are jumping up and down over this!!"

The cup that cheers

SCOTLAND might not have made it to the World Cup finals, but it seems a little detail like that isn't going to stop us celebrating.

Scots fans are still apparently among the most likely to enjoy a drink or two in front of the telly while watching the game. Edinburgh is set to be the fourth booziest city in Britain during the tournament, with our West Coast neighbours coming out top – or bottom, depending on your perspective – of this particular league table.

The only surprise is that our friends at global information services company Experian needed to pay someone to establish the fact that Scottish football fans like a swally.

Pick up the baton

THE founder of a shoestring relay around the coastline of the UK is appealing for Edinburgh runners to take up the mantle. The Coasters Run GB began as an discussion on a runners' forum, but Stu Prince took a leap of faith and runners kept turning up at each stage.

The relay is now in its fifth leg of 22, and Stu is hoping that some of the Capital's runners will help to break up the Edinburgh-South Shields stage, from 11 July. So far he has managed to get 500 runners, who carry a baton called Barry in what he calls "an expression of British eccentricity".

Visit www.coastersgb.co.uk if you fancy taking on Barry the Baton for a leg.

Mark's balancing act

SCOTTISH endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont has been offered some sage words ahead of his epic Land's End to John o'Groats bike trek.

While limbering up at the startline with Lloyds Banking Group staff on the brink of their joint money-spinning venture for the children's hospice of Scotland, a young spectator posed an amusing rhetorical question.

"Why should you never cycle with bankers?" asked the brash youngster.

"I don't know," replied Beaumont.

"In case they lose their balance," said the smiling amateur stand-up.