WEST FIFERS will be able to go back in time next week with the opening of a special cycle track in Townhill Country Park. 

The cycle park will bring back memories for people of a certain age of a similar track at the north of Pittencrieff Park where youngsters were able to negotiate little streets and traffic signals on their trikes and pedal cars.

The one at the Glen disappeared in the 1980s so excitement levels are high now that that the new £75,000 cycle proficiency track at Townhill Country Park is set to open.

The facility has been funded through grants and fundraising and Townhill Community Council chairman Ronnie Cowan is delighted that the track is finally ready for its official opening on Tuesday.

“It is looking super,” he said. “Everybody asks about it and remembers about the Dunfermline one. We won’t be able to have traffic lights as they need power but the kids will be happy with it.”

The track will also be used by youngsters from Townhill Primary School who are taking part in the bikeability cycling proficiency scheme and Mr Cowan added that they were hoping one kind West Fifer would come forward and donate a large container to store bikes in.

“Last year, some of the kids didn’t get to do the bikeability because they didn’t have a bike or they weren’t able to get to school on a bike,” he explained.

“We are going to try and get a shipping container put in because the local school doesn’t have anywhere to store bikes and they would maybe look at buying them or asking people to donate them if they had somewhere to store them.”

As well as the opening of the track, villagers in Townhill had further reason to celebrate this week as the park was nominated for a prestigious award.
Townhill Country Park is one of only 21 parks in Scotland – the only one in Fife – to be nominated for the Field’s In Trust UK’s Best Park award.

Fields in Trust is a national charity that operates throughout the UK to safeguard recreational spaces and campaign for better statutory protection for all kinds of outdoor sites.

Mr Cowan said: “We have been nominated so we are asking people to vote,” he added. “It is nice for this area to get something and it puts us on the map.

“What I am confident of is we have possibly the cleanest park in the area and we get visitors from all over.”

The park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be shortlisted and nominators will be invited to attend the Fields in Trust Awards at Lord’s Cricket Ground in November where the UK’s Best Park 2016 will be named.

West Fifers can cast their vote by visiting www.fieldsintrust.org/bestpark before Wednesday, November 9.