World News – GB – West Lothian Council Response to the organizers of the Beecraigs Festive Forest event

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Beecraigs Festive Forest learned last week that they will not be granted a recreational license for an event in a country park near Linlithgow.

The objection was placed on public health and safety reasons by the West Lothian Council and public health experts at NHS Lothian.

Directors of Rowen Events, the company behind the proceedings, complain that identical events, The Wondrous Woods and Five Sisters Zoo, have been licensed.

However, The Courier realizes that Rowen Events only applied for an entertainment license last month, but has started selling tickets in August..

They had hoped to bring 50,000 people from all over Scotland to West Lothian, but one councilor said: “The truth is that if you live or work anywhere there are precautions – at any level – you should not travel to an area Others to avoid them. The ever-changing situation with this pandemic is a major factor in determining the suitability.

“The West Lothian currently has large numbers of Covid-19 cases and this risk should be considered. The public and companies should make every effort to try to address this issue for the benefit of all.

“Large-scale events must be taken into account for their impact. Permission to grant permission for additional events at this time can only be considered a significant risk to an already unacceptable public health condition. The presence of other events does not mean that permission must be granted for each request for additional events.

Rowen Events Limited Manager Roy Snyden said: “We are totally surprised and disappointed with this decision.. We have followed every advice the Scottish government has given us with this letter.

“to be told by the West Lothian Council, three weeks before our opening, that our actions were in vain to all of our dedicated team, who worked hard to give thousands of families something special to look forward to this Christmas after a very difficult year for all of us.

“What makes the council’s decision baffling is that they have allowed two other similar events to proceed less than ten miles away in West Lothian.. How is this fair?

Another manager, Ewen McMartin, added, “We asked for clarification about the refusal and received no answers whatsoever.. We are still waiting. Meanwhile, what do we tell our 20,000 ticket holders if we don’t know the reasons behind their decision? I dare say they would need to ask the West Lothian Council directly why so similar events continue a few miles away but Beecraigs Festive Forest cannot. It is illogical.

A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “It is unfortunate that the Beecraigs Festive Forest event is unable to happen this year due to public safety concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic..

All customers must visit the Beecraigs Festive Forest website for details on refunds and transfers up to 2021.

Beecraigs Country Park, Lothian, Scotland