West Fife Villages Home

CELEBRATING FIFE 2012…

Woodland Awakenings – a

Celebration of Snowdrops

West Fife Woodlands is pleased to once again be able to join forces with other partners to host this year’s Fife Snowdrops Spectacular. This follows several years of having offered Valleyfield Woodland Park and its wonderful displays of snowdrops as a participating venue in Visit Scotland’s annual Scottish Snowdrop Festival.

A House in a Night (or Day!!)

“Ty Unnos” (meaning house in a night) is an old Welsh tradition where a house was built overnight to stake a claim on land. This quick-build idea has been adapted for modern times into an innovative modular building system that can create a range of house types and sizes.

Living Solutions, a community enterprise based in Cowdenbeath, has developed the system for use with Scottish timber to build affordable housing with a highly efficient low carbon design and are now inviting people to witness their prototype house being built, starting at 10am on 23rd February at the firm’s premises at Church Street, Cowdenbeath (former NCB workshops).

Business in my Backyard

FSB, Fife’s largest business organisation, wants to help both members and anyone else in the business community at large find that Business in their Backyard and are holding a Business Coffee Morning on Friday 17th February from 9.00am – 11.00am.

Forth coast explored in new book

Fife's Forth Coast is one of the most atmospheric coastlines in Scotland with so many villages seemingly lost in a time when the world was a little less complicated than it is today.

James Denham's book, 'Let us Discover Fife's Forth Coast,' takes a look at every town and village, their churches and schools, the industry, the great men who lived in Fife and who helped make the world a better place.

West Fife Villages Art Exhibition
short-listed for award

The annual West Fife Villages Exhibition of Art, Photography and Crafts, now in its seventh year, has been short-listed for a prestigious award. The award up for grabs is the Epic Award 2011 for the best visual art project to be undertaken in Scotland during 2011.

The awards are an initiative of Voluntary Arts, the National Development Agency for arts participation. Voluntary Arts offers information, advice, training and development opportunities to those in the voluntary arts sector, from small local groups to large national organisations.

It’s finally happening in Valleyfield
Woodland Park

Fife Council has recently commenced restoration of the key elements of a former Humphry Repton designed landscape at Valleyfield Woodland Park, near Shiresmill.

This woodland once formed part of the estate of Valleyfield, owned by the Preston family from 1543.

In 1904 the family seat moved to Ardchattan in Argyll. Valleyfield was subsequently sold to the Fife Coal Company in 1907, after which the house was allowed to fall into disrepair and eventually demolished in 1941.

DVD of 'Life on Alloa Inch Farm'

A DVD of ''Life on Alloa Inch Farm'' - is now available from ''The Gallery'' at G R McFarlane, Watchmaker & Jewellers, 41 Mill Street, Alloa. Price £10

''The Gallery'' is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.

New book a great stocking filler

Saline Parish has some interesting and unusual tales to tell.

Jules Verne took a holiday in the parish. The sons of a Saline man started and finished the American Civil War. A Saline man introduced department stores to Canada. A farm labourer’s son from Steelend became the greatest linguist and theologian of his age and worked for the Tsar of Russia. A Saline born earl became king of Scots. (Well almost) Two Saline brothers bought a ranch in Texas and fought Indians and bandits.

All these stories and more are contained in a new book entitled “Saline Parish; of Cabbages and Kings.

Get your copy of West Fife Villages' calendar

Copies of the new West Fife Villages' Calendar are available at a number of local outlets.

The scenes for the calendar were selected at a competition held at this years West Fife Villages Art & Photographic Exhibition, held at Saline.

This competition was sponsored by the West Fife Villages Community Planning Group. Artists and photographers had been invited to submit paintings and photographs of West Fife village scenes from which 13 scenes would be selected for inclusion in a 2012 calendar. As a result, 50 entries were submitted and the judging took place during the Exhibition.

The calendar is on sale at the Dunfermline Carnegie Library and at the branch libraries in the West Fife villages.

It is also available in a number of Dunfermline shops and local West Fife village shops and post offices.

Stocks of the calendar are available on request from John Crane, tele:- 01383 852698, E-mail johnrobertcrane@ic24.net

West Fife Multi-Cultural Group
is revived

“Together, we can make changes where necessary.”

This is what Liina, an Estonian who now resides in Fife, thinks about the revival of the West Fife Multi-Cultural Group which again became active in July this year.

RADIO WEST FIFE CALLING

Can the West Fife Villages community help?

Radio West Fife is dedicated to supporting local charities and communities throughout West Fife.

In 2011 alone they’ve championed around 40 charities and good causes. They also attended and supported several West Fife Villages galas, and promoted these beforehand to the patients and listeners at Queen Margaret Hospital. Now they’re looking for our help!

Maureen stands down as council chair

Maureen Hunter has stood down as chairperson of Cairneyhill Community Council after 10 years in the position.

She has been succeeded by Allan Arbuthnott.

Maureen is pictured receiving a bouquet from Allan at a meeting of the council.

Toddle along to Carnock group

The aim of the 'Carnock & District Toddlers Group' is to provide a safe and informed environment for babies and toddlers of pre-school age to play, learn and grow, under the supervision of their parents/carers.

Babies and toddlers, parents and carers within the community and surrounding districts, can interact and enjoy interesting and creative play in a bright, colourful, and friendly atmosphere.

Fete and Farmers' Market a great success

The sun shone all day, music was in the air and stall-holders danced at the Summer Fete and Farmers’ Market on Culross Village Green on Saturday, 23rd July.

The event was opened by Bill Walker MSP, and he encouraged everyone to enjoy the day and spend, spend, spend! They obviously followed his advice and Culross & Torryburn Church will be almost £4,000 better off, because of Saturday’s efforts.

Survey results published

Saline and Steelend Community Futures Community Views Survey was carried out recently.

The survey was carried out as part of the Community Futures participatory process that will help to inform the preparation of our Saline and Steelend Community Action Plan.

To see a copy of the report (and more photos), which summarises the findings of the survey carried out in Saline and Steelend district, including Upper Steelend, Kinnedar Park and Cowstrandburn in March and April 2011, click here.

Good news for bus users

Saline and Steelend Community Council’s Dave Quinney has discovered that the current 72 bus service from Steelend to Culross is to be replaced in August by a new service 28.

This will be extended eastwards to Wellwood, Dunfermline and Queen Margaret Hospital, and westwards to Kincardine and Falkirk. A couple of evening journeys will also be introduced.

Culross Festival photos Click here to see more

Saline and Steelend housing survey

An award from the BIG Lottery has enabled Saline and District Community Council to have a clearer understanding of the need for social housing in their communities.

According to Jim Hensman, community council chair: "Survey forms were delivered to the 713 homes in our area and 30 people indicated some form of need for themselves or family."

Survey results (PDF file)

A Sixth Saline Superlative Success

About 400 folk visited the Saline Community Centre last weekend to view the annual West Fife Villages Exhibition of Art, Photography and Crafts.

This was the sixth year that Saline had hosted this event, and the prevailing view was that the quality of the exhibits was better than ever.

High Valleyfield centenary booklet launched

A booklet looking at the history of High Valleyfield and some of the events and residents who have helped shape the village over the past 100 years has been launched.

The launch was held at High Valleyfield Sports and Recreation Club and was attended by villagers and guests - among them Fife's Deputy Provost, Liz Mogg and local councillors.