June is now well and truly over and all of us here at Bathgate Band are currently enjoying our summer holidays and a well-deserved break. 

June is traditionally one of the busiest months for the band as it’s the gala-day (or marching) season.  This is the month we dust down our favourite marches and hit the streets in nearby communities to help the celebrate local festivities.  This year we attended parades in Bathgate, Bo’ness, East Calder and 2 in Linlithgow clocking up a few miles along the way.  In the main the weather was kind to us this year and the turnouts were good with a lot of positive praise for the band (you can see some pictures from the events we attended below).

But June wasn’t just about moving our bodies – it was also the month we had to move our band to a new location.

Bathgate band has never had a permanent home within Bathgate. Indeed, over the last 10 years or so we’ve been unable to even have regular rehearsals in the town, finding accommodation in neighbouring Livingston.  Currently the band works on short to medium term leases in unoccupied buildings until we can find a permanent home back in Bathgate.  The end of June saw our latest lease come to an end and we had to move all our equipment to new premises in Oakbank Industrial estate.  The band worked hard over the last week to ensure our old premises was packed up and cleaned and everything shipped into the new building.

Over the coming weeks we will be working hard to make sure everything is in place so the band can start rehearsals again in August in our new surroundings.

Our ultimate goal is to establish a permanent home in Bathgate. To achieve this, the band committee has developed a robust business plan and, together with other Bathgate musical groups, we have begun presenting our proposals to the local council and business organizations to seek support. If you believe you can assist the band in any capacity, we would be delighted to discuss this with you.

Please email us at enquiries@bathgateband.org.uk