Ed-to-Ed as Miliband follows Balls

Bo’ness Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney, Ed Miliband and Harry Cartmill, who works for Labour MP Michael Connarty, at the meeting in Livingston on Saturday.

LABOUR leadership hopeful Ed Miliband followed opponent Ed Balls to the local area on Saturday, attending a meeting with party members in Livingston.

The former Energy Secretary outlined his vision for the party and candidly answered a wide range of questions from attendees at the Muireston Village Hall. Everything from nuclear power, to the Euro, and his aspirations for a ‘living wage’ were touched on.

Bo’ness Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney, who attended the meeting, said: “It was good to hear Ed Miliband’s views, and to contrast these with Ed Balls, who spoke in Falkirk the night before. All the candidates in the leadership election have strengths and weakenesses, but Ed Miliband was impressive and may have won a number of votes from people attending on Saturday.”

Ed (40) is competing against his brother David, Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Dianne Abbott for the leadership.

Visit the main Labour Party website to find out more about the election: http://www2.labour.org.uk/leadership-2010

Ed’s cuppa charm for Labour members

PARTY members from Bo’ness shared a chat and a coffee with Labour leadership hopeful Ed Balls during a visit to Falkirk tonight. The former Schools Secretary was in town to tout for support and to outline why he should be selected as party leader. A packed crowd at Camelon Labour Club quizzed him on everything from support for Trident, his views on the ‘Big Society’, and his biggest regrets in Government. Afterwards, the MP for Morley and Outwood in Yorkshire spent time talking to audience members and posing for pictures. Bo’ness Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney – still undecided on who to support – said Mr Balls had put in a good performance. “It was a good evening and a good chance to hear Ed’s views on a range of subjects,” said Councillor Mahoney. “As we head into the Scottish elections in 2011, we need a strong UK leader to represent Labour in Westminster and support the party in Scotland.”

Ed (43) is competing against David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Andy Burnham and Dianne Abbott for the leadership. Tomorrow (Saturday) local activists will get the chance to meet Ed Miliband when he visits Murieston in Livingston.

Visit the main Labour Party website to find out more about the election: http://www2.labour.org.uk/leadership-2010

Visitors soar at Kinneil Museum

KINNEIL Museum in Bo’ness has recorded its highest visitor figures for more than a decade.

Figures from Falkirk Council show that the facility – at the centre of historic Kinneil Estate in the town – attracted more than 5095 people in 2009 . . . double its annual total in 2004.

This week, a senior Council chief said that open days at neighbouring Kinneil House and the new World Heritage Status of the nearby Antonine Wall had boosted visitor numbers.

Bo’ness Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney, the convener of leisure, tourism and community at the Council, said: “It’s great to see more and more people paying a visit to Kinneil Museum. I hope this trend continues over the coming year.

“Kinneil is a great free facility to visit in the middle of a fantastic parkland. But there’s always more we can do – and we shouldn’t rest on any laurels.”

The museum is located in the 17th century stable block of neighbouring Kinneil House and acts as an interpretative centre for the impressive Kinneil Estate. Its core exhibition, “2,000 Years of History”, was recently updated. It tells the story of the park from Roman times to the present day. The facility also features hands-on exhibits for children, an audio visual show and a small retail area.

Antoninus Pius, St Serf, Mary, Queen of Scots, and James Watt are among the many historical characters associated with the estate.

A ‘Buzz’ about Bo’ness

 
THE TOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN … Toy Story 3 arrives in Bo’ness

MOVIE bosses have been praised for allowing the historic Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness to screen Toy Story 3 in the first week of its UK release.

The animated blockbuster – following the exploits of plastic spaceman Buzz Lightyear and his sidekick Woody – opens at the Hope Street venue from Friday, July 23.

“It’s great that our friends at Disney have given us the film in the week it’s launched across the country,” said Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney, Falkirk Council’s leisure convener. “There’s literally a ‘Buzz’ about the town – with a neighbouring restaurant offering themed food, and staff inside the cinema on hand to collect unwanted toys for charity.

“We hope lots of local people will enjoy seeing Toy Story 3 in their local cinema.”

The third instalment of the Toy Story movies sees Andy – the owner of toys Buzz and Woody – all grown up and going off to college. His toys are sent on a ‘playdate with destiny’ in the hands of terrorising toddlers at the local day care centre.

“People asked for more children’s movies during school holidays and we’ve tried to deliver just that,” said Councillor Mahoney. “The Hippodrome is a smaller cinema – so sometimes we have to wait a week or two for new releases.

Meeting on July 29

The Bo’ness Branch of the Labour Party is holding its next members’ meeting in the smaller community room upstairs at Bo’ness Library on Thursday, July 29, from 7.30 p.m. The meeting will be asked to approve updated accounts and discuss nominations for the forthcoming CLP AGM. All local party members are invited to attend.

Euro MP offers holiday advice

LABOUR MEP Catherine Stihler has offered great advice to local families heading off for their summer holidays to Europe.

She’s produced a new four page guide for travellers – which you can download for free from this website.

Catherine says: “The turmoil of the Iceland volcano has shown us how important EU law is in protecting hard-working families. I am proud of Labour’s record in Europe and my colleagues and I will continue to fight for better protection for holiday makers.”

If you would more information on EU rights, contact Catherine’s office on 01383 417799 or email: cstihlermep@btconnect.com

Catherine adds: “Thankfully most holidays do go without a hitch and what I have outlined are only precautionary measures.”

Download Catherine’s guide here (PDF, 620kb)
Alternatively, click the link below to read the raw text in your browser.

See Roman film at Hippodrome

A NEW movie at the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness is taking the town back to its Roman roots.

“Centurion” is set during the war between Roman soldiers and Pict tribesmen during the 2nd century Roman conquest of Britain.

Michael Fassbender stars as Quintus Dias, Roman centurion and son of a legendary gladiator who leads a group of soldiers on a raid of a Pict camp to rescue a captured general (Dominic West from the hit BBC2 series “The Wire”). The son of the Pict leader is murdered during the raid, and the Romans find themselves hunted by a seemingly unstoppable group of the Pict’s most vicious and skilled warriors, led by a beautiful and deadly tracker (played Olga Kurylenko). The UK film also stars David Morrissey.

Falkirk Council’s leisure convener Adrian Mahoney said: “The movie is set in 117AD, just a few years before the Romans rolled into Bo’ness and made it the Frontier of the Roman Empire. Given the town’s history, there’s bound to be a bit of interest in the film, which was largely shot in the Highlands.”

“Centurion” opens at the Hope Street cinema on Friday, June 25 – and runs over the next week. For details on times visit www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome.

Find out more about Centurion at http://www.centurionmovie.com/

See Fair films at the Hippodrome

A ‘Fair’ treat is in store for audiences at the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness.

Scotland’s first purpose-built cinema will be screening an exclusive programme of Bo’ness Fair films to celebrate the most important event in the Bo’ness calendar.

The movies will be shown on Saturday, June 19, at 2.30 p.m. and repeated on Sunday, June 27 at 6 p.m.

The two screenings will begin with footage shot by local cinematographer pioneer Louis Dickson, of the 1953 and 1955 Fairs, and will be followed by a one-off screening of the 1977 STV documentary "Good Morning Dawn" (pictured above, photo courtesy of STV/Scottish Screen Archive)

Filmed in the year of Elizabeth II’s Royal Silver Jubilee this insightful and affectionate film is not only a delightful record of that year’s Fair activities but also a fascinating archive document of contemporary politics and social issues.

Bo’ness Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney, the Convener of Leisure, Tourism and Community at Falkirk Council – which runs the Hippodrome – said "We’re pleased to be able to show these fantastic films, before and after this year’s Children’s Fair Festival.

"The films from the 1950s were made by Louis Dickson, the founder and manager of the Hippodrome. There’s always great demand to see movies from his archive and I’m sure tickets for these two, special screenings will be snapped up."

Bo’ness to star in comedy festival

BO’NESS has a starring role in Funny in Falkirk, Central Scotland’s new comedy festival. The Town Hall will play host to two shows on July 31 and August 1.

Other performances will be held in Grangemouth, Stenhousemuir and Denny – as well as Falkirk itself. The Festival will run from July 23 to August 3.

Around 6000 tickets will be available for more than 40 shows across Falkirk district. Organisers promise there will be something for everyone.

The line-up includes Fred MacAulay and Tam Cowan, as well as acclaimed stars such as Kevin Bridges and Danny Bhoy. There will also be the exceptional Stewart Lee and rising London stars Russell Kane and Tom Allen. Radio Scotland’s Susan Calman and risqué ventriloquist Nina Conti head up the female contingent. There are also solo shows from Nigerian Andi Osho, local lass Jojo Sutherland and Brummie Susan Murray.

Full details on all the shows are available now at www.funnyinfalkirk.com – and from leaflets available from local outlets.

The festival has been commissioned by the Falkirk Business Improvement District (BID) – which aims to improve and promote Falkirk Town Centre – in conjunction with Labour-led Falkirk Council.

The Scottish Comedy Agency, the team behind the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, is planning the new event – attracting acts to Falkirk as well as neighbouring towns Bo’ness, Grangemouth, Denny and Stenhousemuir.

Corrie Cutherbertson, the chair of the Falkirk BID, said: “I’m delighted to see our first comedy festival being staged. If anyone needed another good reason to visit the Falkirk area this summer, this is it.”

Bo’ness Labour Councillor Adrian Mahoney, who leads on tourism and economic development on the Council, said: “We’re pleased to help bring this new festival to life. Hopefully it will be a real boost for local people and attract visitors to our fantastic district.”

He added: “As well as the main shows in Falkirk, there will also be performances in local towns including Bo’ness. I hope local people will get behind this new festival and snap up tickets.”

As well as the key shows in Falkirk Town Hall, there are also performances in Falkirk bars Behind the Wall and Argyll’s. Younger fans are not left out, with a Kids’ Comedy Club in Falkirk Old & St Modan’s Parish Church – and even free storytelling shows in the McDonald’s Restaurant in Falkirk High Street.

In Bo’ness, the Hippodrome Cinema gets in the act with a two-week showing of the hilarious “Toy Story 3” – plus the Best of Scottish Comedy in Bo’ness Town Hall.

With the accent on variety and value, there’s lots of comedy for your cash with big-value package shows like Friday Night Live at The Plough in Stenhousemuir and Denny Stands Up at the town’s Lantern Restaurant – four comedians for the price of a couple of drinks.

Meanwhile, broadcaster, writer and comedian Tam Cowan turns up in Grangemouth Town Hall with his own brand of humour.

Organisers are also promising a series of comedy double bills with two shows for the price of one.

Tommy Sheppard, Director of the Scottish Comedy Agency, said: “The festival will not only brighten up the summer for local people but is set to attract visitors from throughout central Scotland. Just 25 minutes from Edinburgh or Glasgow the event offers great acts in first class venues at a good deal less than the big city. The full programme is also available on the festival website – visit www.funnyinfalkirk.com to register and get the full details.”

Tickets for all show are now available from www.funnyinfalkirk.com or on the ticket hotline 0844 395 4005

Download the brochure here (PDF, 3MB)

Labour meeting on May 27

The Bo’ness Branch of the Labour Party is holding its next members’ meeting in the smaller community room upstairs at Bo’ness Library on Thursday, May 27, from 7.30 p.m. All local party members are invited to attend. Find out more about the party online at www.bonesslabour.org.uk  – or email: info@bonesslabour.org.uk