Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival changes name due to Newland's links to slavery
The Bathgate Procession has changed its name after pressure from an online petition. The annual event had previously been named the Bathgate Procession and John Newland Festival in honour of the benefactor who built Bathgate Academy. However, Newland had links to slavery and the petition, which had over 1000 signatures, called for his name to be removed from the celebration following the death of George Floyd in America. A statement said: “The Procession Committee have taken the decision to change the title of the event to Bathgate Procession and Community Festival.