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BETWEEN 11.45am and 4.30pm last Wednesday, February 15, several items were stolen from a garden shed in Birdland Avenue, Bo’ness.

PC Gayle Hope said: “If anyone has information relating to this incident you can contact myself at Bo’ness Police Office on 01506 822877 or information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

]]> 1.2132234 Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:58:17 +0000 http://www.linlithgowgazette.co.uk/65_000_village_wheelpark_fund_1_2122845

YOUNG people in Winchburgh can get on their bikes after £65,000 has been approved for a wheeled sports facility in the village to open by the end of the year.

Last week West Lothian Council granted £140,000 to community projects from budget savings for 2011/12. The sports park will be for skaters, inline skaters, skateboards and BMX bikes.

Council leader Peter Johnston said: “It is fantastic news that careful budgeting has enabled funding to be identified for these projects. We know from consultations that the wheeled sports facilities will be warmly welcomed by local young people.”

Mary Miller, secretary for Winchburgh Community Council, said that if this is what young people wanted in the village, it would bring a lot of enjoyment.

A spokesperson at West Lothian Council said: “The budget for the park has only just been approved but we will shortly begin the process of consulting with the local community to ensure any future plans meet their needs and expectations. There are numerous stages to go through but we would hope to be able to have the park open by the end of this year.”

A COMEDY hypnotist will take the stage in Livingston tomorrow (Friday).

The charity event is being staged in aid of a football programme being run by West Lothian volunteers in Tanzania in the summer.

Napier University sports science student Ellie Anderson (18) has arranged the event in the Almondvale Suite at the Livingston FC stadium. It kicks off at 7pm and victims, sorry volunteers, are invited to go under hypnotist Ken Maybury’s spell!

Tickets, £7 each, from Ellie on 01506 492012, 07903 605039 or pay at the door. This event is suitable for those aged 16 and over.

FORTH Valley Sensory Centre is starting a new social group for adults with a sensory impairment living in Bo’ness.

It is an opportunity to meet others with hearing and/or eyesight problems in a relaxed, friendly environment and have a chat over a cup of tea.

The group will meet on the final Wednesday of each month from 2-4pm at St Catherine’s Church Hall in Cadzow Crescent.

The first meeting however is next Wednesday, February 22 (rather than February 29).

Transport to outlying areas can be arranged; for more information call or textphone Ingrid or Lorraine on 01324 590888.

Sighted guides, assistance dogs and carers are also welcome.

WATER in Torphichen is in short supply after Scottish Water turned the taps off again this week.

The water supply was cut off on Tuesday and will be off again next Tuesday as they work on the trunk main and fix bursts in the village’s supply.

But the number of disruptions in the last year has frustrated villagers.

John McKenzie of Greenside said: “Yet again Torphichen lost its water supply on Tuesday and again on February 21, as Scottish Water are yet again going to upgrade their pumping station at Gowanbank, Westfield - this is the fifth time in a year.”

He added that residents had not been kept informed of developments, adding: “Because we are a wee community they are doing exactly what they like to us - we don’t count.”

Although villagers were lettered about work being done this week, local councillor Isabel Hutton is annoyed at the lack of communication from Scottish Water.

She said: “This has been ongoing for over a year now - there have been about four bursts and the service from Scottish Water is unacceptable. It’s beyond a joke - everybody should have access to water. Scottish Water are not giving a clear explanation of what they are doing. They need to be held accountable - the service has been very poor. I am in contact with them, but would also encourage people in Torphichen to raise their concerns with members of the Scottish Parliament.”

But Bill Elliot, Scottish Water’s regional community manager for West Lothian said they did inform residents in advance of planned disruptions, adding: “This is an important project to improve the security of supply to a large number of communities across Central Scotland. It is necessary to redistribute the water mains network in order to maintain supplies for as many customers as possible while this important work is carried out. Our engineers are working as quickly and safely as possible in order to complete this project.”

Water in Torphichen will be cut off between 5am and 8pm next Tuesday, and bottled water will be available at Torphichen Community Centre. A final interruption to the water supply is also planned for the start of April.

Ace bowler Thomas Mann from West Lothian is currently experiencing the highs and lows of the sport at national level having been announced as a member of a select six male Scottish international figures to visit Adelaide for a test series in May.

Ace bowler Thomas Mann from West Lothian is currently experiencing the highs and lows of the sport at national level having been announced as a member of a select six male Scottish international figures to visit Adelaide for a test series in May.

And that is terrific news for the 31-year old manager of a sports fitness centre in the Capital as it comes a short space of time after learning he was a shock omission from the Scotland indoor international team.

Mann’s stock was on the up and up under both codes of the sport and having earned 12 indoor caps over the past four seasons it was thought in local circles that the captain of West Lothian IBC was a shoe-in to make it five series in a row.

“Thomas is a fit young man with proven talent at club, county, national, and international levels so even if last season’s form in the indoor internationals was judged to a bit iffy he is surely a good bet to improve on that,” said a spokesman from the West Lothian IBC camp.

Mann made no comment on the subject but let his skills do the talking at the weekend by turning in the best result of the recent playoff final of the Premier League, captaining WL to the title against Falkirk.

He came into that showpiece final of the indoor scene no doubt lifted by the news a few days previously that David Gourlay, the head coach of Bowls Scotland, considered him to be a major impact player on the outdoor scene.

Scotland travel to the Australian venue to take part in a six nation test event, primarily as part of the acclimatisation build up to the World Championships being hosted by the Aussies later in the year.

Mann – a member of the select 2014 Glasgow Achieve Programme- will be joined on the trip by proven high-flyers Alex Marshall MBE, Paul Foster, David Peacock, Darren Burnett and Graeme Archer.

Marshall (Gifford), Peacock (Danderhall) and Archer (Loanhead M W) bring the Lothian contingent up to four strong out of six and that is a great compliment to the strength and calibre of the sporting giants that parade the greens of the area.

The test series also embraces the women’s branch of the sport and the major local presence in their six strong team is that of Lorna Smith of Linlithgow who is an import from South Africa and a former world champion.

Smith is joined by Caroline Brown, Michelle Cooper, Claire Johnstone, Margaret Letham, and Lynn Stein.

There is a downside for West Lothian BA in the otherwise good news for Mann as he will miss some games in the Hamilton Trophy campaign.