A piper who travelled back to her homeland of Scotland after spending her teenage years in New Zealand has said she wants to see more women in piping.

As the 16th annual Piping Live! continues, 18-year-old Anna Smart donned her pipes for the second year running in Pipe Idol – and was the only female in the competition.

And although she did not make it through to the final, Anna said it is only just the beginning of her piping career.

She picked up her first pair of pipes at the age of nine – just two years after her love of the instrument begun.

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And since her very first lesson, Anna has been spending her every waking moment doing what she does best.

But her passion has not come without its challenges. As a young female piper, Anna has had first-hand experience of growing up ‘in a guy’s world’.

“You have to be the kind of person who can be around males all the time,” she admitted. “I’m lucky that I work with and get on with guys perfectly.

“But there is that intimidating sense that you have to deal with ‘being in a guy’s world’.”

Anna lived in New Zealand between the ages of 11 and 18, and returned to Scotland to further her piping. She has dreams of travelling the world with her talent, and wants to help other young females break into the industry.

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"I think now, more young people are coming to events like this and not being scared to get involved," she admitted. "It has grown over the past ten years or so – especially with young female pipers.

"I’ve had a few younger people come up to me and say I’m an inspiration and they want to do things like I’m doing. It makes it all incredibly worthwhile.

"It's definitely an industry that girls can - and certainly should - get involved in."