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Young people from Scottish village congratulated after no disturbances on bonfire night in West Lothian

Pabio December 10, 2024

Young people in a community once branded a “war zone” over bonfire night unrest have been congratulated after this year’s events passed off without incident.

The chairman of the Blackburn Bonfire Night Action Group congratulated the village’s young people after this year’s event.

The action group was established in 2019 following a surge in anti-social behavior in the village the previous year.

Alison Kerr said: “I think we are quick to criticize but slow to say ‘well done’, especially to our young people. »

Several incidents were reported around West Lothian on Bonfire Night itself and one person was reported for vandalizing a fire engine in Blackridge, while in Edinburgh riot police were deployed to some areas to control an outbreak of fireworks-related violence.

But there were no incidents of disorder in Blackburn.

After problems in 2018, villagers were encouraged to take a stand against fireworks thieves and report any anti-social behavior to the police.

In the months leading up to the 2019 event, the community came together to develop a range of diversion activities for the village’s teenagers, which proved successful.

In a statement to the local committee this month, Alison Kerr said: “As chair of Blackburn Community Council, Community Action Blackburn and the Partnership Center Management Committee, I would like to highlight the positive behavior of the village during of bonfire night.

“I believe Blackburn was one of the quietest communities in West Lothian and not one of the worst.

“Year after year the community faces anti-social problems and members of the emergency services are attacked while carrying out their work.

“This year has been very different and I think we are quick to criticize but slow to say ‘well done’, especially to our young people.

“I know there were incidents before the bonfire night, but on the evening itself it seemed like things were calm, especially at the skatepark where there was no bonfire.”

Station commander Jim Robertson, of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed the area had been one of the quietest areas on bonfire night for fire crews, with few incidents reported.

In her report to this month’s meeting of the Whitburn and Blackburn Blackburn Area Committee, Michelle Murray, the council’s regeneration manager who first worked with the community to develop the action group in 2019, said said: “The group resumed meetings in September and continued to meet until after the night of the bonfire. He developed an action plan including promotional materials and awareness activities to be delivered to schools, youth groups and various community sessions, as well as the use of social media platforms to extend the reach in the community.

The sessions were delivered in partnership by the Community Regeneration Officer (CRO), Safer Neighborhood Team (SNT), Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue (SFRS), Community Learning and Development (CLD), Youth Acton Project (YAP) and local residents.

She added: “All services and the community reported overnight that there had been a marked improvement in behavior this year compared to previous years. “

A drop-in session was provided on the evening of November 5 from the Partnership Center. This center was staffed by CLD Youth workers, allowing staff from the West Lothian Youth Action Project (WLYAP) to concentrate on street work.

Around 30 young people were present at the evening and were able to enjoy hot dogs and pool games. WLYAP engaged 43 young people in the evening. BBNAG recognized the positive behavior in the area through a statement from the community council chair, Community Action Blackburn, Partnership Center Management Committee, posted on social media, praising the young people.

The success of the BBNAG through partnership working with the community, council and emergency services was explored by MSPs as part of their work developing the recent fireworks legislation, with ministers and MSPs visiting the village and talking to people involved in the project.

Councilor Mary Dickson, who chaired the local committee, said: “It’s a good positive story to see that there have been improvements. »