Connect with the Our River Leven Community Fund

Participatory Budget Voting Event at the new Wellesley Parish Church Hall in Methil 

On Saturday 27th January 2024 at the new Wellesley Parish Church Hall welcomed  25 projects who shared their project ideas which supported the aims of the Levenmouth Community Action Plan.

• Leisure and sport events that allow people to connect with their area or the River Leven.
• History and heritage projects.
• Nature, wildlife, food growing and foraging projects.
• Creative projects.

People attending the event cast their 3 votes to support 3 projects between 11am and 1pm. At the same you could also vote on line. In total over 1,000 votes were cast and every project had support.

Everyone A Winner!

We are delighted to announce that all the projects who applied to the Our River Leven Community Fund were successful in receiving funding. 

Thanks go to:

The funders £50,000 from Sustrans via Green Action Trust and £30,000 from Fife Council

The Wellesley Parish Church for providing a lovely venue and hot food and drinks  for everyone throughout the event.

MCCI for hosting the Kids Entertainment Corner 

Paul Morsley from Iglu Studios Ltd for creating the Project Display Boards 

Kris Getchell and his team at Fife College for designing and delivering the on line voting system

Kylie Kay at Green Action Trust for creating and delivering the publicity material for the Our River Leven Community Fund

To ALL the community groups and organisations who came forward with great project ideas.

To EVERYONE who came along on the day to support and vote.

To ALL those who supported by voting on line.

Here is a summary of the projects.

• Organisation/group	Project Name	ORLCF project summary
  Leven Community Council	Scottish Witch Museum	Scottish Witch Trial Museum Displaying artefacts and manuscripts from the actual trials.
  Kennoway Community Shed	Polytunnel	Purchase of a 25ft x 14ft polytunnel to host growing and learning sessions with primary pupils and local people willing to lear. Produce will be shared with elderly members of the community.
  Buckhaven Women's Gardening Group	Brighter Buckhaven	To further enhance the green space around Buckhaven by purchasing more plants, bulbs and tools. We also want to encourage more volunteers.
  Methilhill Children’s Community Initiative	Nature Kids	Children who attend nature kids during the school summer holidays will have the opportunity to participate in a number of nature related activities. These will include planting and growing sessions, learning about wildlife and climate change sessions.
  Methilhill Children’s Community Initiative	Young Artists	We will have a programme which will allow the children to explore their creative talents and give them the time to produce a piece of art - this will be in the form of painting, drama, music and much more.
  Largo Communities Together	Largo Beach Wheelchairs	To purchase specific beach mobility equipment that will enable disabled and less able people to access the beach/water at Largo Beach. The beach wheelchair project aims to set up a free loan scheme, called Largo Beach Wheelchairs, to provide beach wheelchairs from Temple Car Park, Largo.
  Kennoway Pump Track	Kennoway Pump Track Connecting Communities	We plan to offer organised events and activities including free bike rides connecting communities, river rides, local history rides, nature and foraging rides
  Enigma Gymnastics Club	Gym Equipment	To purchase specialised equipment to allow boys and girls to learn the sport of gymnastics. By using such equipment, it will allow them to undertake new skills safely and with confidence.
  Bat's Wood Growing Space and Bike Track	Environmental Education	To continue to manage and restore nature to the 5 acres of Levenmouth Academy known as Bat's Wood and purchase some outdoor furniture
  Edinburgh Community Yoga	Methil Chair Yoga	We want to offer chair based yoga that people can be referred into by GPs, nursing staff and community link workers. Over time we would hope to identify someone in the community with an interest in yoga to take part in additional peer support training and become a peer volunteer for the class.
  Fife Sea Kayak Club	Kayak Accessibility and Safety	To purchase 3 Sea Kayaks for new members to use, helping lower barriers to trying this sport. We are seeking to buy suitable clothing and safety equipment which can be loaned to new members, to allow them to participate safely in club activities.  The purchase of group safety equipment, such as group shelters and the provision of first aid training for club members.
  Lateral Labs	The Art of Foraging	To deliver a series of creative foraging workshops aimed at bringing communities together whilst learning new skills. These four adult workshops will consist of an exchange in knowledge in foraged seaweed and seasonal land plants, preparing and enjoying a communal meal together, and exploring how these plant-based materials can also be used to create ‘green photography’.
  Methil History Group	Exploring local History	We would like to gain more knowledge on the history of Kirkland, Methilhill, Methil and Buckhaven through visits to various archives. This would enable us to gain more skills in research. We wish to include young people in these trips. We hope to make our research available to Schools, the Community and visitors to our area.
  Levenmouth Academy PTA	Forest and Outdoor Leadership Programme 2024	Offer 10 pupils a place in an 8 week outdoor programme in the River Leven Valley lead by the Ecology Centre. This will lead to a Level 4 qualification with increades confidence in outdoor skills eg campfire cookery, foraging, nature conservation and wildlife observation. For age 16+
  Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club	On the right track	To purchase a motocross bike to enhance our current service. The bike will be used every week, helping to develop participants, thus enabling them to use the bike to enter national competitions, where they’ve shown interest.
  Doon the Dam	Connecting Communities	Activities Doon the Dam including nature/history walks, picnics and community gatherings. Create a community gathering spot with benches and picnic tables. Seasonal craft activities and a doggy café pop up events.
  Leven Amateur Musical Association and Youth Group	Equipment for annual productions	We want to purchase our own set of communication headsets for the crew to use during our productions. This would mean we don't have to spend money each time to hire them.
  CLEAR Buckhaven and Methil	Buckhaven Methil Green Network Enhancement	To brighten and enhance the urban space in  Methil and Buckhaven and create opportunities for greater biodiversity.  We want to involve local residents, pupils and other groups  in helping propagate and plant trees, shrubs and wildflowers
  Buckhyne Braes Beekeepers	Buckhyne Bees	We want to purchase new hives and bee keeping equipment including kids bee suits so more people can learn about bees and making healthy honey.
  Methil Parent and Toddler Group	Methil Patrent and Toddler Group	To expand our activities we would like to visit a local farm and host soft play sessions. Hall hire costs.
  Methil Craft Club	Crafty Makes	To fund learning sessions in different types of craft techniques such as using sewing machines, clay and resin work as well as developing new ideas. We also need funding for hall hire.
  Buckhind Players	Summer Panto	We will be working with our youth theatre as a whole collective to put on their very own semi-professional production of “Into Starkies Woods!” We aim to give the young people their first taste at a semi-professional production with full tech value and support with the specialised team who work on our 16+ productions.
  Knit Together Methil	Increase knowledge, decrease isolation	To expand the range of items we can produce through reading material and magazine pattern books. We intend to purchase looms and material such as stuffing, accessories etc that can be used for soft toys thus increasing saleable items. We wish to attend workshops at the Scottish Arts and Craft Show in Glasgow. Costs toward hall hire.
  The Community Trade Hub	2024 Community Holiday Camps Leven	The aim of this project is to have additional activities in the community in school holiday periods. This is to reduce social isolation and seeking youngster to be outdoors in their community having fun with others.
  Friday Craft Group	Craft Courses	Felting, Water Colours, Silver jewellery work taster sessions. Also a climate friendly snakes and ladders board game is to be created.

   

  
  
• Staff members and CRT Trustee Bob Young with Cllr Tom Adams with some of the successful projects displaying their project ideas. 

View the funders here.