Bathgate Partnership Centre, Lindsay House, has been officially opened by Executive Councillor for Culture and Leisure Jim Walker.

The £7 million building is located close to the town centre and is being described by local people as a new heart for the town. Iain Brown and Ross Brown received certificates for their work at Bathgate Partnership Centre, Lindsay House official opening.

The state-of-the-art building includes a Library, Community Centre, Registration Office, Customer Information Services (CIS) centre, Advice Shop, Adult Basic Education, and IT learning suite, meeting rooms for community use and a café. A highlight of the building is the landscaped community garden which has been planted as an orchard.


The event also confirmed the official name of the Library as the Simpson Library after James Young Simpson, the famous son of Bathgate, who discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform. In recognition of Bathgate?s Twinning Partnership with Cran Gevrier, the Registration Service ceremony room has been named the Cran Gevrier Suite.

Councillor for culture and leisure Jim Walker commented: "I am absolutely delighted to have been invited to open this fantastic new building. It is a marvellous resource for Bathgate with so many services available in one location. It is really vibrant and you can feel a buzz in the building. It is great that so many local community representatives attended along with a delegation from the town's twinning partner Cran Gevrier."

Phil McEwan, Managing Director of Ogilvie Construction, said: "It's great to see the new partnership centre up and running. It's a fantastic addition to the public buildings in Bathgate and brings a wealth of local services under one roof.

"I'm very pleased with the finished result. The completed building is absolutely stunning and seems to be a real hit with local people."

(CD)