IT’S good to talk – and it’s paying off in Blairhall with a new place to get a good meal and enjoy a natter.

The Castle Community Cafe started off as an idea but it’s now reality with the official opening ceremony carried out by Councillor Bobby Clelland, who cut the ribbon.

One of the volunteers, Linda O’Donnell, told the Press: “The idea of a community café arose one morning as we were chatting at the community centre.

“Angela (McCann) had volunteered at Oakley Community Café and thought it would be a good idea to start one in Blairhall. And it has taken off from there.

“We devised a questionnaire to find out what people would like on a menu.

“Each week we have been practising various recipes to see how much time was needed for cooking and preparation for the suggested meals.

“We have also visited other community cafes in Oakley, Valleyfield and Kincardine to get some ideas and advice.”

The new facility is in Blairhall Community Centre and Linda added: “The reason for having a community café is to give people a place to meet and chat and have a good home cooked meal at an affordable price.

“People can’t always manage to get into Dunfermline so this is somewhere for them to go on their doorstep and cooked and served by people they know.

“The reason we called it Castle Community Café was because the Castle was a former focal point in Blairhall where various group met including the Brownies, Sunday School and the Church.”