The communities around St. Leonards Park in Dunfermline recently celebrated the opening of a new path at a ceremony. The path is the first completed project in the most recent round of funding awards from the Ian Findlay Path Fund (IFPF), administered by Path for All. The path now enables people to walk, wheel and cycle for short local journeys and enjoy a vital connections to their local schools, health centre and greenspaces.
The opening event was attended by representatives from Brucefield TRA, Paths for All, and Fife Council, who helped to deliver the project, residents from all sections of the local community, and from the many community groups and volunteers involved in the planning and delivery of the project.
The community-led project, which secured funding in February 2024, is part of an ambitious long-term regeneration project which began in 2019. The design and construction stages of the path project have received ongoing technical support and advice from the team to achieve its current milestone.
Managed by the Brucefield Tenants and Residents Association (TRA), the project connects local housing estates of Brucefield and Pitcorthie with a range of local services including a health centre, pharmacy and primary and secondary schools. Making it easier to make local journeys by walking and wheeling, the new path also links residents to local bus networks, significantly reducing social isolation for many.
Yvonne McLeod, Senior Development Officer for the Ian Findlay Path Fund said,
True to the vision and objectives of the Ian Findlay Path Fund, the newly created path across St. Leonards Park offers a really important new connection between the places where people live and the services and amenities they rely on.
It’s great to see the first of the projects awarded funding in the second year of the Fund, reach this milestone. It’s testament to the hard work, determination, and a fantastic community spirit that they have managed to bring it all together so beautifully.
We learned early on that this path project is part of a larger community regeneration project, so it’s absolutely fantastic to see the new path open as the next step in progressing the grander plan. We hope that this success will be a springboard for their continuing ambition to deliver some really inspiring environmental improvements to the area.
In June, the £1.2 million Ian Findlay Path Fund, supported by Transport Scotland, entered its third year. The Fund is delivered with a remit to support the creation and improvement of local paths within, and between, communities; making it easier for people to travel by walking, wheeling (scooter, wheelchair or wheeled mobility aid) or cycling.
So far, the Ian Findlay Path Fund has funded and supported over 40 community-led projects spanning the whole country. The Fund’s growing portfolio now includes communities from almost every region of Scotland, demonstrating the reach and impact of the fund to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling for local, everyday journeys.
Kathleen Langner, secretary at Brucefield TRA and the coordinator spearheading the project said,
I’m absolutely delighted that the path is now open. The local community have embraced the developments, and we know it’s already changing lives for those in the community who are socially isolated or local journeys difficult.
Improving accessibility, making links and improving safety through new lighting are the first major milestones for a community regeneration project which we started exploring in 2019. We worked very closely with Graeme Anderson, the Technical Officer at Paths for All, and the wider Ian Findlay Path Team to progress the work. The support and funding we received far exceeded our expectations, and we’ve made incredible progress in that longer term plan.
Funding administered through the Ian Findly Path Fund supports projects which create new paths and improve usability and accessibility of existing path networks, making active travel easier and more accessible. Where projects have been successfully completed, this support has helped to reduce inequalities, improved access to local amenities and delivered all the benefits to mental, physical, and social health that help create a happier, healthier and greener Scotland.
The team are keen to hear from organisations and community groups with projects designed to create new links between communities and active travel networks, improve accessibility, improve safety and reduce barriers to participation in walking, wheeling and cycling for everyday journeys.
Find out more about the Ian Findlay Path Fund here