Directory

Please also see our main directory listing for the Linlithgow Burgh Trust.

Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow is one of the two main operational groups of Linlithgow Burgh Trust. Established in 2004, it is an environmental campaign with the aim of maintaining and improving the local environment.  Its volunteers look after 120 hanging baskets, 89 planters or barrels and 35 flower beds throughout Linlithgow, having taken over all those formerly maintained by West Lothian Council.  Burgh Beautiful also works with around 16 other local groups and raises money mainly from sponsorship but also from other sources such as plant sales, open garden events, raffles, sale of holly balls/wreaths and our now Autumn Fair.  We also maintain wildflower areas, plant trees, encourage biodiversity, promote public art and general environmental improvement, organise clean-ups, work with schools, youth organisations and businesses, and exert what influence we can to make Linlithgow a better place.  To help publicise the town, and reward the efforts of our hard-working volunteers, we enter nationwide horticultural competitions and, for 2018, we were invited to participate in the Britain in Bloom UK finals, as a result of which we were delighted to receive a ‘Gold’ award and win the ‘Town’ category for the whole of the UK.

When and where do we meet?

We are primarily a ‘hands on’ organisation, so attendance at meetings is not a requirement of all volunteers and bureaucracy is avoided as far as possible!  However, we do have a monthly committee meeting, usually on the last Thursday of the month (except December), upstairs in the Black Bitch tavern, to which all volunteers are welcome to attend.  Reporting to the Committee are eight working groups dealing with action on the ground, business liaison, our Clarendon base, competitions, environmental responsibility, planting, publicity/fund-raising and youth.  These meet as and when required.  Since 2011, the campaign has operated from a base in the grounds of Clarendon House on ground leased from West Lothian Council.

Why would I be interested in getting involved?

If you want to contribute to making Linlithgow a more colourful, cleaner, more interesting and more beautiful place, and help build the town’s civic pride, volunteering for Burgh Beautiful Linlithgow could be for you!  We are an entirely voluntary organisation with no paid staff, always on the look-out for public-spirited local residents to help us achieve our objectives.  Current opportunities to help are listed under the ‘Volunteering’ heading of this website and from time to time on our Facebook page.  Volunteering for Burgh Beautiful is, in itself, free of charge but volunteers can choose to become full members of Linlithgow Burgh Trust and receive its Newsletter, issued three times per year and giving news and full details of activities and events.  Please email us at [email protected] if you are interested in joining us – you will be made most welcome!