A well attended meeting in the Lowport Centre on Monday evening 17^th January heard an excellent presentation on the potential benefits of a Business Improvement District Scheme.

Originating in Canada around 40 years ago, successful BID schemes are now in operation on several continents. A BID is a partnership between a business community and its local authority but controlled and driven by the businesses. In Scotland an approved BID receives a grant of £20,000 to assist with start up and can leverage additional funds from a variety of sources to achieve the agreed BID objectives.

The meeting heard from Ian Davison Porter BIDs Director in Scotland, Sam Crawford of the Bathgate BID and Gordon Brown of the Clarkston BID. Also in attendance were MSPs Fiona Hyslop and Mary Mulligan and our three local councillors Tom Kerr, Tom Conn and Martyn Day, a clear and very welcome demonstration of cross party support for the initiative.

The objective for the evening was to let local businesses hear directly from some of the principal participants in the scheme in Scotland as a first step in making an informed choice as to whether or not this would be the right move for Linlithgow.

To read more, please click here.

More information on BID Scotland can be found on their website.  

Hello! Bonjour! ¡Hola! Buongiorno!

The new term is starting week commencing the 29th of January with all the classes carrying on for all our current students! The term is running for 9 weeks and payment is now due.

We also have new beginner adult Spanish, Italian and French classes.

If you wish to enrol for our new beginner courses, just contact us to get your enrolment form and we will put you on the list!

Remember, our adult classes are kept small to guarantee the best learning environment. Our native, experienced teachers help you learn useful vocabulary easily so you can use it straight away when you are visiting the country!

Contact us if you wish more information or if you have any queries.


Elodie & The Language Room team
Tel: 01506 670009

e-mail Elodie; Visit website  

A missed opportunity for business revitalisation will rob the community of its greatest economic potential in half a century.

The ancient Royal Burgh of Linlithgow finds itself at a crossroads.  With a wonderful story to tell, previously home to Kings and Queens, County Town of Linlithgowshire and a centre of considerable economic activity the Town is on the slippery slope to ignominious dormitory town status.

No longer the County Town, the last vestige of power and influence having recently migrated over the Bathgate Hills to Livingston, the home of Black Bitches faces a stark choice.

Already being erroneously described as simply a prime commuter belt town, Scotland's most civically active community faces a further potential blight to its potential, despite the thriving entrepreneurship that plays such a part in keeping the town economically active. 

A decision will be taken shortly which will determine whether it continues to sleep walk to oblivion or takes the bold route, maximises use of its assets and becomes once again a thriving centre of economic activity.

A prime town centre site is available for development - but there are fears that the end product will take the town down a road to nowhere, rather than  become the first step on the road to a new future.

To say Linlithgow is at a crossroads is literally true. "The Cross" stands at the centre of the Town and is well documented as its beating heart for 500 years and more. Local historian Bruce Jamieson has described The Cross this way "here have been held food sales, livestock auctions, public executions, royal proclamations, witch burnings and aristocratic festivities".

In the opinion of the late Colin McWilliam, Director of the Scottish National Buildings Record, "no other town in Lothian, perhaps not even Edinburgh, has a grander civic focus".

To read more, please click here. 

David Tait begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Chair, Linlithgow Business Association

tel: 01506 510333; mob: 07767 713024