A concert, sports festival and a week of celebration are amongst he plans being drawn up to mark the 60th birthday of Livingston in April.
The new town, dubbed in a sunny, optimistic film made in the early 1960s as a Town for the Lothians, is by far the largest settlement in West Lothian and second only in size to Edinburgh in the Lothian region.
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The council recently made an official bid for Livingston to be awarded city status as part of HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
West Lothian Council officers are now developing a programme to mark Livingston’s birthday with a series of community events throughout the year.
The council’s activities will include a concert for invited guests and a week of business celebration promoting enterprise and achievements throughout the last 60 years.
A multi-sports festival will bring together schools and community clubs to celebrate Livingston’s birthday through sport. Guided Community Walks will also take place that showcase Livingston.
A major part of the celebration is the Livingston at 60 Heritage Project – this will involve the local community in a celebration of the new towns heritage and will include a 60th tea party at Almond Valley Heritage Centre which will include an exhibition, tours, and reminiscence; an exhibition at the Wee Museum of Memory at The Centre with opportunities to share and record memories and reminiscences and the development of a documentary marking 60 years of new town life which will be shown at Howden Park Centre .
This project is funded by Museum Galleries Scotland, co-ordinated by West Lothian Council’s Museum Service, and is being run in partnership with Almond Valley Heritage Trust and the Living Memory Association.
Secondary and primary Schools in Livingston will be asked to create their own short videos celebrating 60 years of life in Livingston. Selected/winning entries will be shown at Howden Park Centre at the same time as the documentary screening.
Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “Livingston is a wonderful place to live, work and do business and this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate this important milestone within the local community.
“The programme is being developed to include a wide range of activities and will aim to involve as many local groups as possible. We are obviously conscious of possible Covid-19 measures but officers will progress with a programme of events that will take place throughout the year.”
You can see a film tracing the origins of Livingston at the National Library of Scotland website here: https://movingimage.nls.uk/film/2219
