West Lothian over-60s gathered at the Almond Valley Heritage Centre to celebrate the 60th birthday of Livingston.
They witnessed the construction of the new town of Livingston first-hand following its inception in April of 1962.
Over generations the guests had seen the entire history of Livingston, the transformation of the rural environment into an urban environment, the construction of countless iconic Livingston buildings, and had 60 years worth of stories to tell about the town.
The new town of Livingston that turned 60 years old in April 2022, is now the largest settlement in West Lothian, second only to Edinburgh in size in the Lothians.
The tea party was funded by Museum Galleries Scotland and organised by the West Lothian Council’s museum service in conjunction with the rest of Livingston’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
The celebration called the ‘Livingston at 60 heritage project’ involves the local community in a celebration of the new town’s heritage - which aside from the tea party, includes an exhibition, tour, and reminiscence.
This project is funded by Museum Galleries Scotland, co-ordinated by the West Lothian Council’s Museum Service, and is being run in partnership with Almond Valley Heritage Trust and the Living Memory Association.
An exhibition at the Wee Museum of Memory at The Centre with opportunities is also currently running, allowing the older generation to share and record memories to assist in the development of a documentary marking Livingston’s 60th anniversary.
Emma Peattie, a museum officer for West Lothian Council, said: ”We held the tea party last Wednesday - it was a great day.
“The sun was shining and there was a fantastic turn-out -the team at Almond Valley put on a fantastic spread including some vintage tea party favourites.
“There was a real buzz about the place and the guests enjoyed reminiscing and catching up with friends from the past.”
The council commissioned a documentary that it premiered this week at the Howden Park Centre.
The film by Tomás Sheridan features the memories and stories of local people.
A number of short films have also been produced by local primary and secondary schools to mark 60 years of Livingston which will be played before the premiere of the Livingston 60th documentary.
The council recently put in a city bid for the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations which coincided with the new town’s 60th celebrations unfortunately losing out to the former town of Dunfermline in Fife.
Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here
