In the 1990s, Bonnybridge — and the Falkirk area — was the centre of a wave of UFO sightings that attracted intense local, national and international media coverage. The term ‘Bonnybridge (or Falkirk) Triangle’ was coined, inspired by the supposed ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of mysterious disappearances.
‘TOWN IN PANIC OVER 2,000 UFO SIGHTINGS’ declared the US edition of the National Enquirer in June 1995. Local UFO investigator Malcolm Robinson described the area as ‘the world’s No. 1 UFO hot spot’. Even though this reputation has dimmed in recent years, the town still has an online reputation as a UFO hot spot, and is regularly cited as a centre for UFO activity.
In its heyday, the Bonnybridge Triangle was full of UFO-related activities — of a very human kind.
There were local investigator groups who recorded sightings and watched the skies. National and local press and TV came to the area to interview witnesses and experts. UFO breaks were offered to holiday makers by local hotels and guest houses. Public lectures were organized in Falkirk Town Hall to explain why Bonnybridge had become the Britain’s UFO capital. Local councillor Billy Buchanan wrote to the Prime Minister. Proposals were made for a UFO tourist centre that would revitalise the local economy. Tabloid newspapers offered light-hearted coverage. Broadsheet journalists denounced the whole thing as ‘the Nineties equivalent of Nessie’.
Leaving aside aliens, what happened in Bonnybridge and why? That’s a question I’ll try to answer, drawing upon press and media coverage of the time. With support from the University of Glasgow, and the help of my research assistant, I’ll be giving public talks on the topic, creating a small exhibition, and working to preserve and enhance the record of the Bonnybridge Triangle currently held in the public library. You’ll find regular updates on this blog, and you can follow me on X/Twitter as @drgavinmiller.