Annual Silent Auction in aid of Crossroads raised £610. Guest Speaker Eileen Hunter Federation Councillor speaking about the challenges to be faced by the organisation as it moves into the digital age.
Thrift Shop Bathgate £1587 raised for Charity Fund Annual General Meeting. Activities during the past year reviewed including a new link forged with the Community Justice Authority. Funds disbursed to the Trussell Trust, Dyslexia Scotland, 3sTrust Fund,SIGBI Big Project, Alzheimer Scotland and Friends of Chernobyl’s Children. Goodbye to Marjorie as President and welcome to Ruth whose first task was to thank Marjorie for the dedication and commitment shown during her term in office, the second task to welcome Dr Lesley Stanley Consultant Toxicologist as a new member.
Sunday lunch followed by “Tales from the Royal Mile”, a photographic tour from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace with stories to fascinate and entertain by Irene Rodger and Dorothy Slater.
Congratulations to Mrs Elizabeth Findlater, a Past President of West Lothian Club, who has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list for a life time of service to the Girl Guiding Movement in Scotland. A Girl Guide since the age of ten Betty has held many posts in Guiding including County Commissioner and District Commissioner and is currently President of West Lothian County Girl Guides.
Mary Konik, one of our members and speaker for the evening, choose as her theme “The Environment”. She brought examples of the arrival of Spring gathered on a short walk around her local area, many being edible or with medicinal properties, including Ground Elder made into soup and Few Flowered Leek used to flavour a cheese dish.
First Meeting of the new Season. President Marjory was pleased to welcome members of Whitburn Girl Guides who had attended a Jamboree in Norway during the summer. The Club had given the Guides a donation towards the cost of their trip and the girls gave an informative and enthusiastic account of their experiences which they had all enjoyed very much. They had participated in a number of different activities mixing with Guides from many other countries and also spent time with host families giving them the opportunity to see some of Norway’s spectacular scenery.
Our guest speaker was Kenny Turnbull Group Co-ordinator of Friends of Chernobyl’s Children West Lothian. In 1986 the reactor No 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant overheated and exploded sending a plume of radioactive fallout over the agricultural lands of Belarus leaving a legacy of poverty, health problems and contaminated land. This beautiful country will continue to suffer the effects of the world’s worst ever nuclear disaster for the next 24,000 years. Children are least able to cope with the health and social problems which are part of their daily lives and Friends of Chernobyl’s Children bring childen to this country to give them a month of clean air, good food, medical checkups and a lot of fun before returning home with warm clothes, vitamins and other essential items for their families. the children stay with the same host family each summer for five
An excellent presentation from Dyslexia Scotland West Lothian Branch about the support and information they are able to offer to children, adults, parents and professionals. Dyslexia is not a barrier to success and the local group wish to expand and be able to reach out to everyone who could benefit from their resources. For further information see www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk
