Welcome to the Bathgate Music Hub Newsfeed
Stay in tune with the latest updates, stories and milestones from our campaign to secure Bathgate Music Hub as a permanent community asset.
Here, you’ll find weekly highlights from our journey, reflections on our rich musical heritage, voices from supporters and volunteers, glimpses into our vision for the future, and powerful messages from those leading the charge.
Whether it’s behind-the-scenes snapshots, progress updates, or heartfelt quotes from our youngest musicians, this space celebrates everything Bathgate Band stands for,— past, present and future.
Explore the page, follow our progress, and lend your voice to a legacy worth amplifying.
- What Bathgate Band Brings to Bathgate
The Bathgate Procession began in 1844, honouring local philanthropist John Newland, and Bathgate Band proudly led that very first civic celebration. That tradition continues today, with the Band marking each year’s event as a living symbol of community pride and continuity.
Since that first Procession, Bathgate Band has stood at the heart of local life, playing for royal visits, remembrance services, gala days, and historic milestones. From Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II, we’ve helped soundtrack Bathgate’s biggest moments.
1895 
1901 
2025 But our contribution goes far beyond performance.
Each year, our members dedicate over 6,500 volunteer hours to rehearsals, mentoring, and community engagement. We keep music alive in town halls and public spaces, fostering inclusion, resilience, and celebration through shared experience.
We reach thousands of residents annually through concerts, education, and outreach, helping young players build confidence, enabling intergenerational learning, and enriching lives with the power of music. Our presence is felt not just in brass and percussion, but in pride, memory, and connection.
Bathgate Band isn’t simply a musical group. It’s a community institution, forged in history, driven by volunteers, and rooted in public service.
Through Bathgate Music Hub, we aim to create a permanent home where this impact can grow — where rehearsal meets legacy, and future generations can find their rhythm in the heart of Bathgate.
Support our vision. Show your backing by leaving feedback today:
- What Music Means to Us
The legacy of Bathgate Band is strong, but its future lives in the hands of our youngest musicians.
This week, we’re handing the mic to our youngest members. Through short video bios, they’ll share what music means to them and what it feels like to be part of Bathgate Band. Their voices offer a clear and personal glimpse into why this legacy matters, not only as part of our history, but as a growing space for learning, connection, and self-expression.
Bathgate Music Hub will be a home where these voices can grow louder, friendships can form, and future musicians can find their place.
Follow us this week to hear directly from our young people. Show your support by visiting www.bathgatemusichub.org.uk and leaving feedback on our vision.
Let us build a future where every young musician in Bathgate has a place to belong.
- A Message From Our President
Bathgate Band has always been more than music. It’s heritage, civic pride, and the pulse of a community that’s rallied behind generations of players, families and supporters.
In this short video, our President reflects on the legacy we’ve inherited — and the future we’re working to secure. It’s a personal message from our leadership, calling on Bathgate to protect a space that’s shaped by its people and ready to serve generations to come.
We’re seeking to secure and adapt The Wee Mair Nursery into Bathgate Music Hub, a permanent home for local music groups, youth programmes, and creative collaboration rooted in history. It’s a place where learning, inclusion, and legacy can grow side by side.
Visit bathgatemusichub.org.uk, explore the plans, and complete the Show Your Support form. Every message, every voice, every gesture strengthens the campaign.
Whether you’re a musician, parent, neighbour, or someone who believes in what Bathgate stands for — this is your moment to help extend the legacy.
- A Legacy That Lives On
Bathgate Band is one of Scotland’s oldest and most historic musical institutions. With documented origins as far back as the late 1820s, our earliest members included French Huguenot hand loom weavers whose craftsmanship shaped Bathgate’s reputation and whose musical passion helped form the town’s first brass ensemble.
In 1842, Bathgate Band played for Queen Victoria during her visit to Linlithgow Palace, transported over the Bathgate Hills by horse and cart and paid one guinea for the honour. Since then, the Band has remained a steady thread through Scotland’s civic life, from parades and gala days to royal visits and remembrance services.
Financial survival often required creativity. In the 1870s, many members joined the Volunteer Militia to perform at official events, and local miners famously paid a penny a week from their wages to support the Band. The steelworks and collieries offered both employment and essential funding, proving the Band’s deep connection to Bathgate’s industrial heritage.
In the early 1900s, Bathgate Town Council began to provide financial backing, and the Band became known as Bathgate Public Band — a title reflecting the support and pride of its local people.
The Band has performed at every Bathgate Procession since its inception, played for the town on VE and VJ Day, and welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Kirkton Park in 1955.
From century to century, Bathgate Band has been there for the town, and with your help, will continue to be. Today, we’re seeking a permanent home through the creation of Bathgate Music Hub, a community space where heritage, talent and future generations come together.
Support our vision, save The Wee Mair, and help us extend our legacy.
- Save the Wee Mair Nursery for Music, not Developers!
West Lothian Council has recently announced plans to sell the Bathgate West Nursery building, affectionately known locally as The Wee Mair Nursery, a site steeped in local heritage and cultural potential. We believe this space should remain a community asset, continuing to benefit generations to come.
Bathgate Band is today launching an exciting proposal to preserve the building and transform it into a permanent home for music in Bathgate. Our vision is to repurpose the Wee Mair Nursery into Bathgate Music Hub, 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 one of Bathgate’s longest-standing musical institutions.
Bathgate Music Hub will nurture emerging talent, strengthen intergenerational bonds, and celebrate the musical spirit that defines our town. It will be a space where creativity flourishes, friendships form, and future musicians find their place.
We invite you to visit bathgatemusichub.org.uk, explore our vision, and share your feedback through the Show Your Support form. Your voice can help shape the future of music in Bathgate, and ensure that The Wee Mair continues to serve the community it has always belonged to.