Konect Bathgate December 2020/January 2021

DEC 2020 / JAN 2021

bathgate

CHOOSE BATHGATE

FEATURE:

LOCAL WALK:

West Lothian ‘tis the season to

SHOP LOCAL

is the BEST place to call home

PLUS: PROPERTY MATTERS, Garden Project, and more LOCAL FEATURES inside!

THIS ISSUE

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rap up, settle in: locked in or not, December’s going to be very different for most of us this year, but getting cosy in your Christmas jumper is definitely on the agenda. We’re wearing ours on the cover this month! Go ahead and top dress in yours for your vid calls – on Christmas Jumper Day on 11th December at least!

A walk that can be enjoyed without leaving our postcode area is a crisp winter walk up at House of the Binns, see pages 30-31. It was earlier in the autumn when I went up there and the colours were wonderful; it’ll be starker now but the views over the Firth of Forth are well worth it, to blow away the lockdown cobwebs.

I hope you enjoy all our columns this month. As ever, we focus on the upbeat and the positive, and the things to celebrate despite everything. A special version of the regular Property Matters column from Turpie & Co celebrates West Lothian as a great place to live and work.

My Christmas wish is for all our readers to stay strong and to be able to enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday period, whatever challenges it brings.

Thanks for reading Konect and supporting local businesses and organisations this year.

P28 Choose Bathgate.......................................................8 Feature: It’s official: West Lothian is THE BEST Place to Call Home....................................12 Local Lab: Engineering for the Future.............20 Garden Project: Bringing Joy & Comfort in Midwinter...............................................................21 Parenting: A Puppy is for Life... .......................26 Film Review: Wolfwalkers.....................................27 Local Environment: Welcome to the Undergrowth............................................................28 Puzzles.......................................................................29 Local Walk: A Winter Ramble with a View......30 Health: Time for Change......................................32

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Copies are also left at the library, convenience stores, post offices and other locations around Bathgate.

HELEN-JANE SHEARER Editor

E: editor@konect.scot

CHARLENE GAFFNEY Account Manager

M: 07772 941899 E: charlene@konect.scot @KonectMagazines

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West Lothian is the BEST place to call home West Lothian was recently named as the “most financially viable” area to live in Scotland.

The word may be getting out. Those of us lucky enough to live here already know that West Lothian is a great place to live. It’s an overlooked gem in many ways that our city-dwelling neighbours are largely unaware of. Now, some research recently carried out gives it a new label: the “most financially viable” place to live in Scotland.

It’s an interesting label to add to the list of good reasons to live here.

The research was carried out by finance company Moneybarn, which ranked nearly 400 locations across the UK using a range of financial indicators. West Lothian scored very highly on rent affordability, rates of pay and house prices, boosting its total score to the number one most financially viable place to live in Scotland.

As we wrap up this gruelling year, we decided to take an uplifting look at why else living, buying, renting or investing in West Lothian has a rosy outlook.

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TOP OF THE CLASS

In The Times Scottish School League Tables published earlier this year, West Lothian has six schools in the 50 top performing secondary schools in Scotland. The six are Linlithgow Academy, West Calder High School, James Young High School, St Margaret’s Academy, Whitburn Academy and Inveralmond Community High School.

AND RELAX: GREEN SPACES AND SCENERY We don’t have the drama of Highland landscapes, but we do have plenty of open spaces and beauty spots. This year has highlighted more than ever the value of spending time in green spaces. Properties with access to green spaces, for both buyers and renters, are in very high demand - and West Lothian has plenty. You can have a some of everything here, with the Bathgate Hills, the country parks, Union Canal, woodlands...the possibilities are endless.

WORK / LIFE BALANCE

Nestled as we are between Edinburgh and Glasgow with excellent transport links, the cities are within very easy reach for both work and play. With many people

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now working from home too, and some who may never go fully back to the office, housing needs are changing. There is increased demand for properties with a study/home office or space to run a business, so there’s a lot of movement just now - and West Lothian is again a perfect destination to get the space to work from home but retain proximity to the cities.

EVERY KIND OF SHOPPING

The Centre in Livingston is the third biggest retail centre in Scotland and there is virtually nothing you can’t get here. And there’s more: for different retail experiences, West Lothian’s smaller towns offer a variety of boutique and independent businesses, with a strong “shop local” ethos to support our independent traders and eateries. Widespread working from home may lead to a resurgence in demand for products and services in our town centres and local high streets, further developing and enhancing the character of our towns and villages.

PLENTY OF CHARACTER

The character of our towns and villages is partly a result of an incredibly rich historical heritage.

West Lothian has been the oil capital of the world in the shale oil heyday; the birthplace and playground of royalty; a religious headquarters, when the powerful Knights Hospitalier had their moment at the top. It’s been a commanding location for a long time! And fantasy history?

Our characterful sites are frequently used as a filming locations, most recently for the hit TV series Outlander, which has boosted tourism to the area.

So it’s not surprising that some of the best properties for sale or rent in the country are in West Lothian. And, as the most financially stable part of Scotland, you can buy, sell, invest and rent property here with more confidence than anywhere else.

This article was written in conjunction with Turpie & Co Estate & Letting Agents who have extensive knowledge of the West Lothian Property Market.

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LOCAL LAB

Engineering for the Future Picture in your mind what an Engineer looks like. Are they wearing a hard hat and looking at a complex schematic drawing? Are they wearing a lab coat and looking down the lens of a microscope? Or are they sitting in front of a computer writing code?

These might seem like different jobs, but they are all engineering.

In the UK there is currently a shortage of engineers and importantly within the current engineering workforce there is a lack of diversity. There have been several initiatives to attract teenagers to By the time study engineering, children reach the age of but they have 7, they have not been very already ruled successful. out career paths Research as not being for suggests that them – or not a reason for being for people this is because like them” by the time children reach the early age of seven, they have already ruled out career paths as not being for them – or not being for people like them e.g. based on gender, ethnic or socio-economic background, or perceived cleverness.

Dr Helen Bridle, an engineer from Heriot-Watt University is trying Percentage to deconstruct old of Males & Females stereotypes about Employed what engineering is and who does engineering in her new project called Engineering Science Capital, funded by the EPSRC. She is bringing together engineers and creative arts professionals to design and run fun activities with children aged 3-7 to showcase the breadth and diversity in engineering.

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Working with nurseries, schools, parents and teachers, she hopes to inform and inspire about the wide range of engineering careers that exist.

Helen’s project will find out what activities and approaches work best to engage 3-7 year olds with engineering, and the results will recommend the best ways to include engineering in early years education.

By opening-up the world of engineering to children now, we will help build a thriving and diverse engineering sector in the future.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED AND FIND OUT MORE: • Teachers can access a classroom pack and curriculum-linked activities

• Families can receive ideas for easy, fun and low-cost activities to do at home

• Engineers can get help in communicating their work All the above is in development, please email Helen at h.l.bridle@hw.ac.uk for more details about the project, to find out when our new website will be launched and be the first to preview our Engineering song being developed with Hopscotch Songs.

Updates about the project will be posted on the HWU website and the Heriot-Watt Engage social media channels @hwengage The Local Lab column is contributed by Heriot-Watt University to engage the public in a range of their research projects. @KonectMagazines

Bringing Joy and Comfort in Midwinter We all need some comfort and joy during these dark days. Lesley has a tactic for cheering us up: just remember that Spring will come, and they can’t take that away from us!

Let your garden bring comfort and joy to you during the winter, we don’t even have to wait for Spring to be delighted by flowers, leaves and fragrance. Our patio doors look out onto this Oriental Hellebore and it started flowering at the beginning of November and will continue to produce its glorious and hardy flowers into March.

There are many different varieties available with a great range of colours and they are very easy to grow. They prefer a little shade from the full rays of the summer sun.

A few evergreen shrubs in pots arranged

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Oriental Hellebore where you can see them from inside can work wonders for our happiness in the winter.

We have a top 10 evergreen plants for pots on our purple piglet project for ‘bringing the outdoors indoors’ by looking outdoors to your patio from the cosiness of indoors.

Choose plants like Pieris, Viburnum, Skimmia, Variegated grasses and Golden Choisya.

Pick up the leaflet on your next visit and get some good cheer!

The gardening project is contributed by Dougal Philip, New Hopetoun Gardens.

Inspiring, informing and entertaining, for more than 40 years.

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PARENTING

A puppy is for life, not just for Christmas...

…or at least that’s what they used to say. But 2020 has brought fears of a new puppy crisis, meaning Christmas might not be the biggest problem.

I put my hand up and happily say that we are one of those families who have welcomed a new arrival this year. But ours was by no means a pandemic puppy. On the contrary it was a long time coming. After careful consideration we decided the time was right. Who could have known the right time would turn out to be so wrong in so many other ways.

I have no doubt that there are many out there who have jumped into puppy parenthood without enough thought about night-time walks in the rain and picking up poop for the next however many years. And of course, about what to do when life and work returns to something more “normal”. But that doesn’t mean all new puppy parents have jumped into it without forethought.

We spent weeks and months thinking and researching before finding our breeder. Of course, there was still lots to learn when our new arrival finally came. Not the least of which was finding out where to go to get all the things they need like food, toys and advice.

One gem of a place we’d never had need of until now is Scott’s Pet Supplies in Pumpherston.

We popped in just the other day in search of the perfect puppy advent calendar.

While there we couldn’t resist

picking up some treats from what can only be described as a puppy pick ‘n mix. And we were lucky to get useful tips about run free fields and training treats as well. The kids were busy spying dog toys– safe to say the dog will be getting more presents under the Christmas tree than me this year!

Turns out having a puppy is more like having a baby than I ever could have imagined. Sleepless nights, trouble with feeding, constantly worrying if you are doing the right thing…only they reach the terrible twos a lot quicker than kids and when it comes to teething, they are already the proud owners of a set of razor-sharp puppy teeth.

But we wouldn’t be without our fur baby now.

Like with kids I can hardly remember what life was like before. And I certainly don’t take any small amount of joy for granted this year.

So to new puppy parents I’d give the same advice as to new parents…if you are worrying about it that probably means you are doing a great job, it does get easier and in the meantime don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.

To prospective puppy parents…don’t rush into it, good things come to those who wait.

Have a pawsome Christmas everyone!

The parenting column is contributed by Laura Archibald. Laura lives in West Lothian with her family and their campervan Hank. She is mummy, wife, blogger and full-time personal assistant to her two girlie girls.

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Right off the bat, I have to make this clear.

Wolfwalkers based solely on its animation is absolutely breath taking. Every frame of this film is just like a work of art and in my opinion is a type of animation I feel is missing from modern kid’s films because they are mostly made by Disney or Pixar.

However, where a lot of my issues come from are its story and characters. The main character is very rebellious. We are told that no-one is allowed into the woods, yet mere two seconds later she ignores this advice. This leads to a character who is more frustrating than relatable.

Sadly, this rebellious mindset from the beginning lessens the impact of scenes later on.

Due to this issue, I felt it hard to engage with the story as the main character’s actions drives the plot forward. For most people these issues will mean nothing.

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However, since I critically look at films, the story and the characters for the first 45 minutes didn’t click with me; but at the same time the last 45 minutes are just simple enthralling. The characters and the story kick into high gear and I see its true potential as being a masterpiece of animation. I honestly loved the last 45 minutes and I wish the whole film was like that.

Wolfwalkers is a really good film that could have been fantastic, but for kids it’s a must-see. It’s a high recommendation from me for family watch.

The Film Review is contributed by Robert Ewing.

Robert is passionate about film as an art form, and shining a light on films that may not be on people’s radar. Robert is from Kirknewton.

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LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Welcome to the undergrowth As I write this, the weekend is nearly over and there’s only one word to describe it - dreich (surely, it’s the best Scottish word). The mist has hung heavy making the air feel thick and the drizzle soaked us to the bone.

It’s not all bad news though, as the colours of autumn fade and we await the first snowfall there is still plenty for us to admire thanks to mother nature. During a cycle I was so dis-tracted by the way the cobwebs were weaving through the gorse bushes I cut it short near Armadale, returned home and promptly went out with the camera.

The work undertaken by the spiders was mesmerising and incredibly varied. The mist didn’t burn off like I’d hoped but somehow it seemed to make the cobwebs even more beautiful.

On top of that, I heard the high-pitched call of the long tailed tit as they bounced through the air followed by the goldcrest - what a discovery! The smallest bird in the UK was flit-ting between trees looking for insects but sadly evaded me for any 28 | BATHGATE

decent pictures. The cycle path between Bathgate and Blackridge is an excellent place for bird watching, es-pecially as those who inhabit the territory will be used to people passing so frequently.

Next month we can’t wait to bring you a picture of the bohemian waxwings which have now made landfall in Scotland for winter. They’re just a wee bit too far north for us at the moment!

This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. Follow them on Facebook @ScottishSistersPhotography @KonectMagazines

CROSSWORD

Solution in the February edition of Konect

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SUDOKU Sudoku Solution on Page 34.

PUZZLES

ACROSS: 1. Used for measuring (4), 3. Goes before (8), 9. Against (7), 10. Removes sensation (5), 11. Immediate environment (12), 14. Uncooked (3), 16. Edition (5), 17. To colour (3), 18. Very keen (12), 21. Not dead (5), 22. European country (7), 23. Simultaneously (8), 24. Happy (4) DOWN: 1. Item of clothing (8), 2. Writing material (5), 4. Stick, cane (3), 5. Significant (12), 6. Broken (7) 7. Type of window (4), 8. Amazement (12), 12. Birds dwellings (5), 13. Received gladly (8), 15. Not losing (7), 19. Spin around (5), 20. Sour (4), 22. Farewell (3).

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House of Binns: An ancestral home with a rich history

Just up the road at House of the Binns, a short woodland walk, lovely panoramic views, and parkland with picnic spots is lovely any time of year. It makes for a crisp winter walk, and in the new year the snowdrops begin the parade of year-long colour on the estate.

Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, House of the Binns is the ancestral home of the Dalyells; the site was chosen for its proximity to Linlithgow Palace. There is plenty of rich history to explore here in the family stories. The first Baronet (1615–1685) was General Tom Dalyell, “Bluidy Tam,” famous for brutally defeating the Covenanters on behalf of Charles II at the Battle of Rullion Green in the Pentlands. The most recent occupant was the late Tam Dalyell MP. The house is closed at present but the grounds are free for you to wander; the gates close at 5.30pm.

Strut like a Peacock on a beautiful Winter walk Looking North: Stunning views over the Firth of Forth and Blackness Castle

The approach drive (off the A7904 near Mannerston Holdings) meanders up through a field of sheep to a car park close to the house.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be greeted by the resident peacocks. I counted eight peacocks plus two babies the day I was there; there may be more.

The walk starts beside the house, and is an easy trail through the woodland. It’s not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs as there are steps and tree roots to navigate. You emerge from the woodland into a field, and head up towards a tower.

The tower is a folly built in 1826 as a result of a wager; Sir James Dalyell and his friends had an after-dinner wager on who could come up with the best way of wasting £100. It sounds like the sort of thing wealthy young men would do, but Sir James was 52 years old at the time and didn’t really have anything to prove! The story is on the benches that surround the

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Binns Tower, Dalyell’s Folly and The Wager are all names for the turret located at the top of a steep hill on the ‘House of the Binns’ Estate

tower, I’ll leave it to you to read it when you go!

Linger at the tower to take in the wonderful views all around. To the North, look out over Blackness Castle and the Forth to the Cleish Hills and the Ochils. To the south, over the bings to the Pentlands which make for a lovely skyline.

From the tower, you have two options: through the gate closest to the tower and back down into the woodland to complete the short woodland circuit, which comes back out near the house where you started. You pass the remains of General Tam’s smoke house on the way down.

Or, from the tower, strike off across the open field (it’s waymarked) for a longer parkland walk. The grass is quite long, and at the bottom of this field there is a gate which, when we went in September, was accessed by an unavoidable and very muddy patch.

Sturdy boots suitable for a bit of mud are recommended if you take the parklands walk.

Bear to your right to follow the trail past “Paddy’s Cottage.” There are various little trails and plenty of picnic spots to be found in this corner of the estate, so you can divert, and there is a wet woodland which is a wildlife @KonectMagazines

haven. Following the waymarked path, you walk beside a burn at the edge of an arable field until you arrive at a wooden bridge. This was the old southern approach from the road to House of the Binns. The wee old stone bridge that you see here carried carriages in the late 18th century over the burn and up the approach to the house. Bear right over the bridge; you are now on the route of the old southern approach.

It takes you to the walled garden (closed for safety reasons) and past the old stables where The Royal Scots Greys – the regiment founded

by General Tam Dalyell – stabled their horses (also fenced off for conservation work). The trail takes you back to the drive you came in on, and back to the car park.

After your walk, treat yourself to refreshments a few minutes along the road at New Hopetoun Gardens. There is a wonderful orangerie tea room open from 10am to 4.30pm with indoors and outdoors seating.

Visit www.newhopetoungardens.co.uk See: nts.org.uk/visit/places/house-of-binns

This article was written by Helen-Jane Shearer. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect and lives in West Lothian with her family.

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LIFE COACHING

TIME FOR CHANGE

After a challenging year it is without doubt December is going to be slightly different from the usual social festivities and Christmas markets.

As we gladly welcome in 2021 there is always a huge surge of ‘change’ in the salon.

Transformations, makeovers and a need to overhaul style seems to fall in line with the opportunities the start of a new year brings.

With that in mind, I think there are some really simple ways of changing things up. Why wait till January? I think we all need a bit of change and injecting some colour into your hair just became a lot easier. Colour fresh masks have arrived in Wonderland, with a vibrant array of tones from golden, caramel and copper right through to the bolder statement shades like mint, deep blue, and rose blaze. If your hair is light you can experiment with the brighter vivids. If it is darker opt for adding a caramel glaze or chocolate hue. They are colour depositing treatments and so work very much like a deep conditioner, and only take ten minutes with no mixing to do.

With colourful packaging and a huge range to choose from they make an ideal stocking filler for those who like to have fun, or are also a brilliant idea for maintaining colour in between appointments or if you can’t get out to visit a hairdresser.

Time to embrace change, Merry Christmas and here’s to a colourful 2021.

The Hair column is contributed by Sophie Laidlaw. Sophie is Director @wonderland Livingston. www.wonderlandlivingston.co.uk 32 | BATHGATE

Even Christmas can CHANGE We have all been confronted with so much uncertainty this year and many of us are feeling stressed and tired and just want life to return to something we recognise as ‘normal’.

But, if Covid has given us anything, it is the knowledge that there is no ‘normal’. Change happens to all of us and, this year, has reminded us that we have far less control than we ever realised.

There is no doubt that 2020 has been a challenging year and our Christmas celebrations certainly won’t look the same. There will be no office parties, no seasonal markets and no large gatherings. But, we are being given a golden opportunity to rethink our priorities and do things differently. We can still spend time with our loved ones and, who knows, we may even enjoy the toned down celebrations so much that we make them a permanent feature of the festive season for years to come.

Traditionally, Christmas is followed by a headlong dash to make those life-changing resolutions. Year after year, we declare that we will give up chocolate, go to the gym, take up running or write that novel. This year, we can still do our Vision Boards but, alongside those career and social goals, we could include positive images of friendship, love and contentment to draw those positive things into our lives.

Along with the challenges it brought, 2020 has shown us all just what we are capable of.

Let’s celebrate that and take that new- found confidence forward into a healthy and happy new year.

The Life Coaching column is contributed by Francine Orr, NLP coach, hypnotherapist & reiki practitioner. Francine is based within Linlithgow Chiropractic on Wednesday afternoons and is also available online. See www.orrganise.co.uk @KonectMagazines

SHORT STORY

Government Restrictions and Regulations?

Don’t get me started! I remember that Christmas like it was yesterday.

My wee cousin Mairi from Westfield tells me she’s got to go with her partner Jayden to Livi for this new government regulation. ‘Not that far’, you’re thinking, but they don’t have a car and there’s no bus running. So they start walking.

This is December, mind. They don’t arrive until after the Civic Centre is shut.

Jayden’s not a happy chappy, he hadn’t wanted to take time off work, what with being a self-employed joiner. I should add that Mairi’s expecting her first and her waters have just gone. No time to get to hospital so Jayden starts looking for somewhere to take Mairi. No luck with finding anywhere, shops shut, and he’s getting a bit desperate until one guy says they can use his storeroom round the back. No heating and one dingy light. At least it’s got a roof.

It’s a bit scary for Mairi; no family around and Jayden’s a decent bloke but she doesn’t know him that well - they just met that spring. Anyway Mairi has her baby there that night; a healthy wee laddy and they are so happy, that wee family.

Mairi’s just recovering, and Jayden too, when there’s a chapping at the door.

Jayden opens it to a bunch of guys who look like they sleep rough. They say they’ve come to see the baby. Well, Jayden’s not so sure. But how could they know about the baby? They say they heard about it on Messenger, and that they’ve just rushed from Sheephousehill. So anyway Jayden lets them in - at least they have masks on - and it’s like they’re totally amazed by what they see. They kneel down next to the baby, not too close mind. And then they leave, changed forever by this special wee baby. His name? Jesus.

This short story was contributed by Bathgate resident Lisa Abison, as a fresh and light-hearted take on the Christmas story, 2020-special version. @KonectMagazines

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CLUBS & CLASSES

SPORTS, HOBBIES, LEARNING, SUPPORT GROUPS & MORE...

CARERS OF WEST LOTHIAN - Still very much here for all our carers, young carers and disabled adults. All services via Zoom/phone: weekly Coffee Morning and Young Carers groups; monthly mental health support group, disability social group, bereaved carers and young adult carers groups. Virtual Power of Attorney Clinic & Benefits Advice, phone counselling. We provide PPE for unpaid carers and personal assistants providing personal care. For more information on all services please contact Carers of West Lothian: www.carers-westlothian.com Tel: 01506 448005 Email: office@carers-westlothian.com Our ever-popular Clubs & Classes section has been on hold due to the pandemic - most clubs were unable to operate in the way they were listed.

However, if you are involved in a club, support/ social group or other not-for-profit group that is now online or has adapted to continue operating safely, please get in touch with me at editor@konect.scot in order to get your organisation listed again.

Macmillan

@ West Lothian Cancer Information and Support Service

If you’re affected by cancer you may want to know there’s someone you can turn to for help.

Working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, our service is available across West Lothian and offers anyone affected by cancer, access to information and support. You may have cancer yourself or be a relative, friend or carer of someone with cancer.

We Can • Listen and advise on an appropriate course of action • Organise an appointment with a Macmillan Adviser for a benefit health check • Referrals to appropriate services • Signpost to local support services

Contact Macmillan @ West Lothian on: Telephone: 01506 283053 Email: MacmillanWestLothian@westlothian.gov.uk

Social and support groups are more vital than ever, let’s make sure everyone knows what is available locally.

Not-for-profit and community groups are free of charge. There is a small fee for business listings.

SOLUTIONS

SOLUTION TO NOVEMBER CROSSWORD

SOLUTION TO SUDOKU ON PAGE 29

ACROSS: 1. Decade, 4. Photos, 9. Plateau, 10. Label, 11. Rhyme, 12. Choices, 13. Destruction, 18. Chemist, 20. Ideal, 22. Ruins, 23. Opposed, 24. Degree, 25. Adults.

DOWN: 1. Depart, 2. Crazy, 3. Deepest, 5. Hello, 6. Tobacco, 7. Splash, 8. Punctuation, 14. Evening, 15. Tripped, 16. Scared, 17. Slides, 19. Issue, 21. Easel.

34 | BATHGATE

@KonectMagazines