Bathgate bid to save former nursery as community music hub
Bathgate Band has launched a campaign to save a nursery in the town and turn it into a music hub for the community,
West Lothian Council had recently announced plans to sell off the Bathgate West Nursery building, known locally as the Wee Mair, a site steeped in local heritage and cultural potential.
However, the band believes this space should remain a community asset, continuing to benefit future generations by establishing a permanent home in the town where the band and other musical groups could help it in creating the Bathgate Music Hub.
Said Bathgate Band vice-president Derek Brown: “The Wee Mair is a long-standing heritage focal point in the town. It should be retained for the benefit of the community, not for developers.
“That’s why we have launched an exciting plan to preserve the building as a community asset and see it transformed into a hub for nurturing musical talent in Bathgate and local communities.
“A Bathgate Music Hub would provide a vibrant centre for rehearsal, performance, learning and collaboration. This initiative will not only honour the building’s original purpose as a place of education, but also provide a lasting home for our own band – one of Bathgate’s longest-standing musical institutions – and other music groups.”
For more information about Bathgate Band’s bold vision and to help shape the future of music in the town, and also show your support, visit the band website at www.bathgatemusichub.org.uk
