A MEMORIAL for babies in Fife whose ashes may not have been returned to their families is set to be created in Dunfermline.

The city's Public Park has been selected as the preferred location for a tribute following a long-running consultation with affected families.

Further talks are now set to take place over the exact location of the special space.

Senior manager for property services with Fife Council, Alan Paul, said: "Parents have identified the Public Park in Dunfermline as their preferred location for the baby memorial and discussions have begun with the community council and other local stakeholders on the best location for it.

"These discussions are at an early stage."

Central Dunfermline Community Council asked local residents this week to give their views on the memorial through a link posted on their Facebook page or by emailing babies.memorial@fife.gov.uk.

The baby ashes scandal was uncovered in late 2012. Bereaved parents of stillborn babies and infants who died days after birth were told there were no cremated remains to bury, when in fact the ashes had been disposed of without their knowledge by staff at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh. An investigation was ordered by the Scottish Government and it transpired this had been the practice for decades and that ashes had not also been returned to parents by council staff at crematoria in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy.

Dunfermline mum Carol Howden was one of the parents affected by the scandal.

She was 17 when her four-month-old boy, John, died of cot death in 1988 and Dunfermline Crematorium told her there would be no remains.

However, she found out later that his ashes had been scattered without her knowledge.

Fife Council apologised and have since paid compensation to 85 parents.

A working group was set up in 2019 to look at the creation of a memorial.

Initially, there were moves for a weeping angel memorial to be located at Townhill Park but this idea was dropped as "it was felt an open consultation process had not taken place to fully engage and establish what type of memorial and location was favoured by parents".

During the subsequent consultation process, parents expressed a strong preference for a private but not isolated space in a public place where they could go for peace and to reflect, but urged the council not to procrastinate on locations when the actual memorial itself was more important.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that after the Public Park and Kirkcaldy's Beveridge Park were the locations under consideration and it now looks like the memorial will be in Dunfermline.

A consultation document published by the council explained that through the process, parents requested a peaceful park setting with easy access.

"The Babies Memorial Working Group have been working towards creating a fitting memorial for all the affected families to share," it stated. "Several parks in Fife were considered. Public Park, Dunfermline was chosen as the preferred location."

Three possible sites in the park are now being looked at and it is hoped the memorial will be completed by next summer.