Konect Bathgate May 2021 by Konect Magazines

MAY 2021

PARENTING: LOCAL ENVIRONMENT: LOCAL CHARITY:

The monthly community magazine for Bathgate, Torphichen, and Broxburn

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aving a picture of litter on the front cover is maybe a little strange – but it’s a topic that sparks a lot of strong feeling, and a group of absolute heroes, West Lothian Litter Pickers, is the subject of our charity feature this month. There’s a lot more to it than “just” picking litter, see the feature on pages 8-9. With the first set of restrictions lifted, it’s just wonderful to see businesses opening again who have been unable to trade for so long. Let’s all support them as much as possible, sticking to the safety rules that will be with us for a while. A reader wrote to me recently, “Every time your magazine comes through my door, it make me feel things are somewhat normal - so good that some things can continue despite the madness.” Hopefully the madness is on the way out, but I’m glad Konect has been an element of regular normality, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. All our usual columns are here from our local contributors covering health & wellbeing, property, parenting, entertainment and more. Thanks for reading, for letting me know what you think, and especially thanks for supporting local businesses and organisations.

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THIS ISSUE Charity: West Lothian Litter Pickers................8 Garden Project: What kind of fragrance fancier are you?................................................ 13 Property Matters: It’s a seller’s market but not as you know it............................................. 14 Technology: Business of 2030..................... 20 Hair: Hair loss, thinning & breakage........... 24 Life Coaching: Better Times Ahead............ 24 Parenting: Where have you Binns lately?................................................................... 26 Local Environment: Cruising the ponds..... 28 Film Review: Zack Snyder’s Justice League (“The Snyder Cut”)............................. 30 Puzzles.................................................................. 30

Konect is delivered monthly to 10,000 homes in selected areas of Bathgate and Broxburn. It is also available online: konect.scot/subscribe

HELEN-JANE

Editor & Manager COVER IMAGE: West Lothian Litter Pickers, see our feature on P8. @KonectMagazines

All enquiries, E: editor@konect.scot M: 07854 492638 BATHGATE | 3

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WLLP members picking litter

We even found a car door!

A litter-free Kirkton Park, Bathgate thanks to WLLP 8 | BATHGATE

It sounds simple – a Facebook group of people who want to keep West Lothian looking beautiful, clean and safe by picking up litter. But, as I discovered when I spoke to the founder of the West Lothian Litter Pickers (WLLP), it’s become much more than that. Bathgate resident Jason Wilcox, who set the group up two years ago, described for me the journey and the behind-the-scenes operation. “Collectively, we’re pulling 10,000kg of rubbish out of the environment every month. A lot is legacy litter - it’s been there for a very long time. And then there is fly-tipping and the never-ending task of picking up freshly-dropped litter.” There are now almost 2000 people involved in the group, many of them active in regularly picking up litter, and it’s growing into Jason’s original aspiration – to have spin-off groups in every village and town throughout West Lothian, each looking after their own patch. Active members are issued with a litter picker and hoop. Some people are picking up litter in their spare time, on a lunch break, with their kids or on a daily walk. There are also organised meet-ups. “For the organised meets, we focus on problem areas, and ones that are not regularly covered by West Lothian Council,” explains Jason. The event is published on the Facebook group along with instructions on where to safely park. A safety brief is given, and high vis vests and equipment are issued for those who need it. The arrangement with West Lothian Council is that once pickers have collected their bag/s of litter, they leave them next to a bin and email a dedicated inbox at the Council, who then collect within 24 hours. The Council also supplies bags, and has provided a number of hoops and pickers to the group. To get to this stage though has required huge effort and organisation, on the part of Jason initially, then the board who joined him. To bootstrap it, Jason invested in some equipment himself, and before the Council or any organisations would engage with him, he needed to formalise the group with a constitution, public liability insurance, risk assessments, and other red tape. @KonectMagazines

The Council has only six employees picking up litter across the whole of the county, and they barely keep up with the quantity of bags that the WLLP keep filling! The group has its own wee trailer for taking bags and larger items to the dump too. The board has half-yearly meetings with Keep Scotland Beautiful; six-weekly meetings with Operational Services at the Council. There is constant community engagement via schools, country park rangers, Forth Rivers Trust, River Almond Action Group, to name a few. Jason was nominated for a Keep Scotland Beautiful award last year. The WLLP group is the largest in Scotland, and one of the largest in the UK. He has an international following on Twitter. “But the members of WLLP are the real heroes,” he says, “They’re regularly up to their knees in mud, pulling legacy litter out, as well as all the stuff dropped yesterday. A special thanks is due to the committee - Rebecca Gallagher, Mark Reilly, Jim Allen and a special mention to Carol Salem who has been with me since my second pick.” “I just hate litter” he adds simply. If you hate it too, see the side boxes below for how you can get involved. HOW TO GET INVOLVED - This is the group to be in to make new friends, get out and about this summer locally and make a difference to the local environment: Join WLLP on Facebook: West Lothian Litter Pickers (Act Local, Think Global ) DONATIONS NEEDED - Can you help with a donation towards WLLP running costs? Local businesses or individuals – every donation makes a huge difference! On-going costs include equipment – a litter picker and hoop cost £50 each – high vis vests, public liability insurance, and keeping the trailer on the road. Contact WLLP via: Email: westlothianlitterpickers@gmail.com Message the Facebook group, search: West Lothian Litter Pickers (Act Local, Think Global ) This article was written by Helen-Jane, after speaking with Jason Wilcox of WLLP. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect and lives in West Lothian with her family. @KonectMagazines

BROXBURN & UPHALL LITTER PICKERS – A LOCAL HUB

“Our group was set up on Facebook in December 2020 as a local hub for West Lothian Litter Pickers and we have been growing every day with almost 200 members now. We work as individuals or in small groups collecting litter on the streets, pathways, and parks in the Broxburn and Uphall area to create a lovelier place to live and work. You may have noticed our piles of refuse bags left beside the council litter bins. All age groups help us which is lovely to see. Parents are keen to get their kids involved and to teach good life values, passing on love for the environment. We distribute picking kits and refuse bags locally, so people don’t have to go too far to get them. Members share the results of their picks on Facebook where they are met with appreciation. Your first pick can seem challenging since you think everyone is watching! Soon you learn though, through thanks from passers-by and toots from car horns, that you are setting a good example and making a difference which is both rewarding and motivating. It can be quite addictive although it seems that the more you pick, the more you see! Want to help? Then join our Facebook group “Broxburn & Uphall Litter Pickers.” Donations to secure additional equipment are always welcome and we acknowledge the support we have had from Forth Rivers Trust and SusTrans, in particular. There’s always room for more people to get involved working towards the common goal – to keep our lovely towns litter-free - so please don’t hesitate to contact us. Of course, the biggest contribution would be if everyone disposed of their rubbish responsibly so there would be no need for our group… but then that’s another story!” Email: BroxUpLP@gmail.com BATHGATE | 9

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What sort of a fragrance fancier are you? What sort of fragrance in your garden would suit your best?

The Aromatics are for you if you are always busy and enjoy having things well organised and ship shape – plant Lavender, Sweet Peas and Catmint. You’ll enjoy the Flowery Fellows you get from Roses, Border Pinks (shown in the small pot), the tender purple Heliotropium (Cherry Pie, in the tall pot) and Night Scented Stocks if you are warm hearted, easy going and fun loving. The Honey Bunch would suit calm types who enjoy traditional values and take pleasure in the little comforts of life – Buddleias, Border Phlox and Honeysuckles will delight you. The strong heady scents from the Exotica like Perennial Wallflowers, Philadelphus and

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the fragrant Lilies are very attractive to passionate, sensuous folk who really come to life in the evening when these fragrances are most powerful and inviting.

Fragrant pots

Many of these could grow in pots or borders around a warm west facing sitting area where you can delight in the fragrance being wafted into the air and you can be as comfortable as your plants! The gardening project is contributed by Dougal Philip, New Hopetoun Gardens. Inspiring, informing and entertaining, for more than 40 years.

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PROPERTY MATTERS

It’s a ....but not as we know it! In the midst of such economic uncertainty, the property market continues to buck the trend.

It’s almost 11 months since the first lockdown restrictions eased and the property market sprung back into life. Some industry experts anticipated this would be a temporary boom caused by the pentup demand over the previous 3 months and buyer activity would subside as we approached the winter months. As we near the first anniversary, there are no signs of things cooling off as demand from home buyers still significantly outstrips the supply of properties available for sale which, in turn, builds upwards pressure on house prices. Continual changes to business and retail restrictions created some uncertainty with buyers and sellers whether the property market was open for business during the second lockdown. This, combined with the ongoing economic uncertainty contributed further to the shortage of properties available for sale in the market at the start of 2021. The financial consequences of Covid 19 are unlike anything we have seen before and the fact that lenders are still being encouraged to make money available to borrowers despite the wider challenges

in the economy is something we have not experienced in previous periods of uncertainty.

It is however anticipated that a more stable market may just be around the corner as sales activity is expected to increase over the coming months with more properties becoming available for sale as restrictions start to ease coupled with the seasonal patterns usually experienced over the spring and summer months.

Current market conditions are of course good news for sellers and for those who are buying and selling a property in the same market as increases in prices should be relative on both sale and purchase in most cases. First time buyers are however disadvantaged, despite the government backed Home Buyer Fund and recent Stamp Duty breaks, with so much competition for starter homes and closing dates being set on the majority of house sales. The real winners are sellers who are able to sell now and delay buying until the market cools and a gradual easing of buyer activity linked to the increase of houses available should see house price growth return to more normal levels.

The best advice for any home buyers in the market right now is to register your details with as many Estate Agents as possible in the area that you are looking to buy.

We frequently receive calls at our agency from buyers asking why a particular property has sold so quickly, often having only been advertised the same day. The reason for this is often down to agents sharing details of new properties coming to market with their registered buyer mailing list with opportunities to view a new property (and potentially buy it) before it is advertised on the open market. In a sellers market, when demand for houses is high, your position as a buyer has a value and making this known to the selling agent can often pay dividends and put you in pole position ahead of the competition.

The monthly Property Matters column is contributed by Craig Turpie. Craig is a director at Turpie & Co Estate Agents and Letting Agents with extensive knowledge of the West Lothian Property Market and over 20 years experience in bespoke sales and marketing. 14 | BATHGATE

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Business of 2030

With so much debate about the benefits of work from anywhere you could easily miss that these policies started to appear in the 1970’s; as oil prices rocketed so too did interest in more inclusive, flexible working hours and arrangements. The last 50 years have taught us a lot. Organisations globally have researched and invested in enabling their employees to work from anywhere. Many successfully enabling their people to live where they want, eliminate the average 4.5 hour per week commute, while empowering them to prioritise work and life, not one or the other. But how?

Focus is often on the failures of technology in facilitating work from anywhere, but the challenge isn’t technology. Over the last year tech has kept us all connected, entertained and sane. Superior audio from Around.co has rid us of audio lag and HD video in FaceTime, Zoom and Teams has enabled us to stay in touch. The challenge isn’t the technology nor the structure of organisations; it’s the culture. Tech businesses like Wardman UK live on the tech front-line, helping organisations adopt not just the tools but the culture. We set the standard for a thriving, inclusive and productive community, leading by example. We’ve learned to: Write it down - Whenever we have a “how do you do that?” moment we turn to our handbook. It’s our guide to everything, an evolving repository for our shared knowledge and experience. Comments, suggestions and ratings are made in real time. If anyone finds a better way to do something they update the handbook and everyone else benefits from the experience. We recommend services like Slite, Teams and Kip Wise for this.

for everyone to see. This gives the team opportunities to challenge, learn and improve. It encourages lots of cross talk, often leading to solutions you would have never thought of otherwise and impromptu conversation. Transparency - Being transparent creates a virtuous circle of learning, creating opportunities for anyone to contribute and everyone to learn. Being open and giving space for different perspectives to be heard benefits everyone. Whatever you don’t share won’t improve.

Our business - We’re busy rewriting our handbook, getting ourselves ready for the road to 2030. A decade in which our clients will become more environmentally and socially conscious, where their teams will be more connected, open, diverse and inclusive than ever. The years ahead will bring new challenges. Armed with the right tools, team and culture your business will adapt to the coming changes and thrive. If you want to know more join one of our regular talks with West Lothian Chamber. Checkout www.wardmanuk.com/news for updates. This column is contributed by Eve Wardman, co-founder and director of Wardman UK Ltd, the Lothian’s premier IT and Microsoft Cloud Solutions provider. Visit:

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LIFE COACHING

HAIR LOSS,

THINNING AND BREAKAGE Hair loss is a daily topic in my line of work.

I always say the first thing to look at is your diet. Great hair starts from the inside. If you have noticed thinning ask yourself if you are getting enough from your diet, are you getting enough nutrients? Vitamins? Do you need to tweak it or add supplements? Iron, protein, zinc and biotin are all essential for healthy hair and scalp and once you have those boxes ticked it’s time to look at topical solutions. If you have visited your doctor they may have prescribed a steroid cream or alternative solution. If you ask a hairdresser they will almost certainly recommend Nioxin which works by thoroughly cleaning the scalp and removing any follicle blockages. It’s basically a facial for your scalp encouraging a healthy environment for new hair to grow. If you ask the internet they will tell you the answer is massaging castor oil in twice a week! All of these are great but all work hand in hand with making sure you’re eating well and drinking plenty of water. Keeping your hair healthy and protecting from heat will help prevent any breakage and damage moving forward. I recommend a moisture rich treatment for elasticity once a week and making sure to use heat protection spray before blowdrying and again before straightening. An oil can be a great way to seal and protect those ends and of course regular haircuts to keep the condition perfect. The Hair column is contributed by Sophie Laidlaw. Sophie is Director @wonderland Livingston. www.wonderlandlivingston.com 24 | BATHGATE

BETTER times ahead Over a year on from the start of lockdown, it is no longer as strange to most of us as it was, and we have all had to accept that many of the things that made up our normal lives are just not there for us at the moment.

Communicating with colleagues, family and friend via Zoom, Teams, Face Time or Skype has become second nature to many of us even if we do fumble around to find the “leave meeting’ button or only show our foreheads because we can’t get the camera angle right. Or maybe that’s just me. One of the ‘gifts’ of Covid and this last year is that we have all learned so much about ourselves. Every one of us is stronger and more resilient than we ever knew we could be and we are still standing. As the restrictions begin to lift, this is an ideal time for us all to put the lessons of the last year to good use as we get used to what this new world looks like for us all. We may have to accept that we won’t be getting on a plane and flying to warmer climes any time soon or that we can’t get back to meeting groups of friends in cafés or restaurants or at the pub. We have dealt with the past twelve months and developed new ways of living which will support us all well into the future. The Life Coaching column is contributed by Francine Orr, NLP coach, hypnotherapist & reiki practitioner. Francine is based within Linlithgow Chiropractic on Wednesday afternoons and is also available online. See www.orrganise.co.uk

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BATHGATE | 25

PARENTING

Binns there ...

Where

have you Binns lately?

at! ...done th

By the time you read this I imagine we will all have been given the go ahead to roam freely around the country once more. We’ll probably all be leaving our local area at any given opportunity even if it’s for a trip to B&Q…at least until the novelty wears off.

But this last year has certainly given us a new appreciation for where we live. And who’d have thought it but after a year of staying close to home we still managed to find somewhere we’d never visited before. I’d heard of the House of the Binns, and knew it was somewhere around these parts, but I knew nothing about it really. I was casually Googling local walks in hopes of finding somewhere new to get the kids excited about… and the promise of a resident peafowl colony was too much for my girls to resist. The House itself was closed when we visited due to restrictions but we took full advantage of the beautiful grounds – which are free to explore - on a sunny day in April (before rushing to the car when the snow came on). The first thing that struck me was the fantastic views across the Firth of Forth. The kids were surprisingly 26 | BATHGATE

captivated by all the different kinds of boats they could see – battleships, sail boats and cruise ships all ripe for spotting. And of course a never-before-seen view of Blackness Castle perfect for seeing it really look like the ‘ship that will never sink’ it was meant to be.

There are two lovely walks around the grounds of the House. A short woodland walk that does exactly what it says on the tin, and a longer parkland walk, which goes all around the estate. Both routes are easily achievable for kids although definitely not buggy friendly. We climbed to the tower on the hill and sang some Ed Sheeran Castle on the Hill at the top of our lungs, spotted all the whomping willow look-a-likes as we explored and - I don’t know if it’s a sign that they haven’t been getting out much - even the resident sheep freely roaming as we walked by seemed to be a

source of great excitement to my girls.

There are some perfectly situated picnic benches making the most of the lovely views for a post-walk picnic. Sadly there was not a peacock in sight when we were there but I’m sure we’ll be back to try again another day. Perhaps the most talked about titbit of the day was that the tower – sitting on the highest point of the estate with absolutely amazing views was erected for only £29 in it’s day. My kids somehow think they are going to pool their pocket money and get one for our garden! The parenting column is contributed by Laura Archibald. Laura lives in West Lothian with her family and their campervan Hank. She is mummy, wife, blogger and fulltime personal assistant to her two girlie girls. @KonectMagazines

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BATHGATE | 27

LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Cruising the ponds Sadly, last year the ponds in Wester Inch, Bathgate, lost their resident male swan. He was a great parent and mate to the female, and whilst she did a wonderful job raising their cygnets by herself, it appears she’s moved on this year. Thankfully, we’ve got a new pair of swans and it’ll be lovely to watch them raise their young. The female is roughly 17 years old according to the ring on her leg (these are important for tracking and monitoring population of all bird species) and she’s currently sitting tight on the nest keeping the eggs warm. The male swan is living his best life as he cruises the ponds, doing a bit of grooming, and defending his territory.

doing what any parent does and defending his youngsters from anything deemed a threat.

There’s some greylag geese visiting, and anyone who’s seen him when they’re around will agree that he does not like them one bit. Assuming his defensive posture he powers across the pond, creating quite the wake as he lowers his head back before raising his wings and chasing them off. Swans have a fearsome reputation but they’re really just

This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. Follow them on Facebook @ScottishSistersPhotography

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This was taken as the sun rose during April, in the perfect conditions for steam fog to rise off the ponds allowing for some backlit photography. With migrant birds arriving all the time, it’s a wonderful time to go out a walk, especially at this time of year as the dawn chorus is in full swing.

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BATHGATE | 29

PUZZLES

CROSSWORD The “#ReleaseTheSnyderCut ” movement is extremely detailed and too long for this review. But in short, back in 2017 following a personal tragedy Zack Snyder was unable to release his version of Justice League. It took till 2021 to finally see his vision realised.

The film is just simply epic. Many scenes had me jumping up and down with excitement. It’s a treat visually and musically. The cinematography is beautiful, and I love the use of 4:3 aspect ratio. While It does take a bit getting used to seeing black bars on the side of the screen, compared to the top and bottom, you soon forget. Knowing this was meant to be shown on an IMAX screen just fills me with excitement as the image would have filled the entire IMAX screen. The soundtrack is just incredible, every song adds to the film and gives scenes serious impact. I loved this film. The action, the acting, the story, the characters: it is simply amazing, and I highly recommend watching it.

The Film Review is contributed by Robert Ewing. Robert is passionate about film as an art form, and shining a light on films that may not be on people’s radar. Robert is from Kirknewton. 30 | BATHGATE

^^^ Solution in the June edition of Konect ACROSS: 1. Choose (6), 4. Bends (6), 9. Latest style (7), 10. Work out (5), 11. Scour (5), 12. Remove (7), 13. Arguing (11), 18. Changed (7), 20. Used to steer a car (5), 22. Attempted (5), 23. Kindergarten (7), 24. Area, district (6), 25. Head of newspaper (6). DOWN: 1. Least risk (6), 2. Not the winner (5), 3. Type of plant (7), 5. Overturn (5), 6. Rogue (7), 7. Bedding (6), 8. Unconnected (11), 14. Loosening (7), 15. Taken down (7), 16. Haggle (6), 17. Participant (6), 19. Wireless (5), 21. Expel (5)

SUDOKU ^^^ Solution in the June edition of Konect

Zack Snyder’s Justice League clocks in at a colossal 4 hours and 2 minutes and is presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio. For some, hearing the film is over 4 hours might be a turn off, but I truly think it’s worth it. In my opinion Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a truly momentous film that was never boring or felt like it dragged on in anyway.

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