Making history for the masses
A support worker has launched a local history campaign chronicling West Lothian’s history in a short video format.
The campaign called ‘Our History, Your Story’ was set up by Alan Kerr to engage West Lothian residents with their local history by creating short videos telling the history of local towns.
So far the amateur historian has made videos on the history of Bangour Village Hospital, Torphichen, Livingston, Broxburn, Bathgate, the knights of St John, and even the history of The Wallace Stone.
Alan explained why he feels compelled to make videos educating people about their local history.
He said: “While I grew up in Edinburgh, my family is originally from Newbridge and my wife’s family is from Ratho so I’ve had family in West Lothian for as long as I can remember.
“After my grandad passed away, I was worried about all the stories he used to tell me growing up – all those tales he had accumulated throughout his life – what would happen to them if I didn’t tell them?
“It’s important for me to preserve those stories, and to tell people that they’re important, and their story matters.”
The next town Alan hopes to tackle in his local history series is Linlithgow, a town steeped in a rich history as old as Scotland itself.
Alan knows this could be his biggest video yet, and that Linlithgow locals hold their town history dearly – so he’s taking his time with it.
He said: “People’s history is a delicate