Holyrood recognition for Whitburn Band’s 150th anniversary

Whitburn Band’s achievements and history have been featured at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

A motion was put forward by Neil Findlay, a Labour MSP for the Lothians, to recognise the band’s 150th anniversary.

The motion stated: “That the Parliament congratulates Whitburn Band on its 150th anniversary; understands that the brass band was founded in 1870 and is the current Scottish Open champion; notes that the Band celebrated its anniversary digitally, and wishes the band all the very best for the future.”

According to the parliamentary record, the motion has been supported by several other politicians at Holyrood including Jeremy Balfour, Miles Briggs, Kenneth Gibson, Bill Kidd, Gordon Lindhurst, Gil Paterson and David Torrance.

The motion followed a series of articles in the West Lothian Courier newspaper, which highlighted all the band’s work in 2020 to mark its 150th anniversary. This included several digital performances which have attracted hundreds of thousands of views and have been featured on STV and on the social media of Classic FM.