Meet the police officer with a world record collection of bagpipes

A police officer living in Cleethorpes has the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of bagpipes.

Daniel Fleming was born in the fishing town of Arbroath in Scotland and started playing the bagpipes at the age of 10, following in the footsteps of his musical dad and older brother, who play the drums and cornet respectively.

His collection continued to grow over the years and Daniel achieved his Guinness World Record on October 24, 2013 with 105 bagpipes.

His collection has since expanded to around 190 and each set of bagpipes is also still playable. They are stored in a secure location and the different sets range in value from £400 to £10,000.

Recalling his world record Daniel, who turns 58 next week, told The Lincolnite: “It is absolutely amazing and I remember looking through that year’s Guinness World Records book and seeing mine on around page 93 and I felt really proud.

“Jane (Daniel’s wife) wishes I would start selling some rather than buying more bagpipes, but she is hugely supportive of everything I do and immensely proud.

“My fascination for bagpipes made my collection grow and I am extremely proud to play them. They have brought me a huge amount of joy in my life.

“I’m not sure anybody would be silly enough to challenge the record, but maybe I will reevaluate and submit a new record in the future.”

After seeing bagpipes being played at events in Scotland on television, it sparked Daniel’s interest further and at the age of 10 he joined the Royal British Legion’s band.

He retired from the army in 2003 before moving to Cleethorpes where his wife Jane is from. The couple, who met at an army cadet camp in Scotland, married at St Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh Castle on April 1, 2005.

Daniel worked at British Home Stores in Cleethorpes before joining Humberside Police as a PCSO for Grimsby in 2006. In 2009, he became a Police Constable for the force and still is now, covering the whole of Hull.

He also currently works for police as a Community Cohesion Officer in Hull, in what he describes as “extremely rewarding and the best role I’ve ever had”. Most recently, he was the main organiser for the force’s Stephen Lawrence Day event on April 22.

In 2004, Daniel joined the Humberside Police Band which he still plays with today. Daniel is the Drum Major, so is normally out at the front giving directions with his mace stick for the marching at parades. During concerts with the band he plays the bagpipes and tends to rotate between around 30 from his collection.

Daniel also previously appeared on Bargain Hunt with his wife Jane, where they lost more money and the other team won.

He even played a set of bagpipes on the show and that is when the size of his collection was mentioned, prompting him to look into the record attempt. A benchmark of 100 was set by Guinness, which Daniel was very proud to beat.

Daniel lives with his wife Jane and four-year-old Cockapoo Dave and in his spare time he enjoys keeping fit.

He added: “We are about 100 metres from the Humber and the people are hugely welcoming with open arms, even on St George’s Day. Their attitude to myself since I moved here has been wonderful and I have met some amazing people that I now call my friends.”

Humberside Police Band

The Humberside Police Band are believed to be the oldest surviving police band in the UK, and maybe even the world.

They were founded as Hull City Police Band back in 1861. In 2011 they celebrated their 150th anniversary to make it the oldest police band in the country.

The band moved to a new home in 2018, relocating from the Police Training Centre in Hull, where they had been for over 20 years, to Sensor House in Beverley.

The band has also previously visited Germany, France, and Belgium to perform with their European neighbours. They have also performed for Her Majesty the Queen on a number of occasions, including during her Silver and Golden Jubilee celebrations, as well as at the opening of the Humber Bridge.

Brent Read, the band’s Director of Music, told The Lincolnite: “Having the experience of a former Scots Guards Pipe Major and Falklands Veteran as the band’s Drum Major is an invaluable asset.

“Danny’s presence when the band is on parade enhances both the appearance and musical discipline of the band.

“Danny is a superb piper and being able to feature his playing at concerts and all manner of other performances is something that we are truly proud of.”

Daniel’s record is part five in The Lincolnite’s series looking at both Guinness World Record holders in Greater Lincolnshire and records set in the county.

Part 1 – Declan Evans – Capri Sun record

Part 2 – Anna O’Mara – Screwball Scramble record

Part 3 – Charlotte Wharton – Fastest 100 m waterski tow by rowing boat

Part 4 – Martin Pike – Rubber band powered model aircraft