MUSICIANS from the Borders warmed-up for a forthcoming festival in Barbados with a shindig at a local lawyer's.

Members of Riddell Fiddles performed for guests at Hastings Legal in Selkirk last week.

The toe-tapping evening was ahead of the annual trip to the Caribbean where Riddell Fiddles not only perform but also hold classes in traditional music.

The Barbados Celtic Festival, which runs from May 19 to 24, is a celebration of the shared heritage between the nations.

Carol Anderson from the Barbados Celtic Festival explained: "We have Bajans singing Scottish and Gaelic Songs at their school concerts during festival week.

"And the youngsters sing back their own special songs to us, in front of full school assemblies.

"Any of our visiting pipers and drummers also join in the concerts, and it’s a rich tapestry with historical significance.

"In 1748 Scots were purged from the Highlands and sent by boat to work as indentured servants in the sugar industry in Barbados.

"Many of their descendants still live on the island to tell tales of a history of the “Redlegs” as they were famously known – as their pale Scottish skin easily burned on their shins below their kilts.

"There is a very strong Scottish Connection with Barbados."

During festival week Sheila Sapkota, Jenni Borthwick, Gary Smith, Louise Douglas and Davie Scott from Riddell Fiddles will run workshops and perform at schools and centres across Barbados.