Bathgate Procession has unveiled a new name for its return next year.
The popular event will now be known as Bathgate Procession and Community Festival.
It comes after calls were made to have organisers change its name from Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival due to John Newland’s links to the slave trade.
A petition was launched last year which attracted over a thousand signatures.
Afterwards the committee agreed to the name change but were scuppered and had to return to the original title as it had not gone through the proper process.
Members said this week they were delighted to unveil the new name for one of the highlights of West Lothian’s summer calendar.
The event was cancelled the last two years due to covid restrictions and organisers are hopeful of a triumphant return in 2022.
A spokesperson said: “Last year we received multiple requests to consider its ongoing linkage to John Newland due to his historic relationship with the slave trade.
“This is not the first time this issue has been raised, we have previously had conversations around our links to John Newland and how we can ensure the event is as inclusive as possible in our modern society.
“What became clear in 2020 was that we as a committee were unaware of the full implications such a change would involve and we set ourselves the task of rectifying this. The procession committee has now taken legal advice on the repercussions of changing the name and the steps required to do so.
“On Thursday, October 7, in line with our articles of association and the legal advice received, a committee meeting was held to vote on the name change. At that meeting a majority vote was recorded in favour of amending the name Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival.
“A further vote by a majority of the committee approved a new name and moving forward Bathgate Procession & Community Festival will be an inclusive community event for all.
“We are now working to take the necessary steps to fully implement the name change. The committee has also previously received a number of questions regarding the name change.
“As a voluntary organisation this process has been a significant undertaking for the committee, we would like to thank the community of Bathgate for their ongoing contribution and understanding.”
The spokesperson added: “After covid restrictions have sadly left us without a Procession Day for 2 years, the committee are now focussed on planning 2022’s event and look forward to seeing the local community come together to celebrate!”
The committee said it has been responding to questions and concerns about the name change from locals.
One issue raised was whether the name change was an attempt to erase the past.
The committee responded: “We do not believe we are erasing the past, we are deciding to no longer promote it.
“John Newland was celebrated as part of this event due to the sum of money he left which funded schools in Bathgate and Armadale, including the old Bathgate academy.
“In the spirit of education and community we need to continue to grow and evolve with our modern society. By making this change, we believe that we are acknowledging and learning from our past, rather than ignoring it.”
They also also said while they acknowledge the former Bathgate Academy uilding was funded through the bequest of a man who made his wealth from slavery, the committee “cannot change the history of where the building came from but we can try to redress it by giving this building lots of new moments in history that we can be proud to look back on”.
The spokesperson continued: “The old Bathgate academy was built to have a positive impact on our community rather than as a memorial to the man himself.
“To us, this building represents education, betterment and community which are all traits we want to remain associated with the procession and why we will continue to use the building at this point in time.”
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