THE Benarty Boundaries Group is committed to ensuring that Glencraig's history is not forgotten.

A petition backing the restoration of the Benarty Community Council boundary to include the whole of Glencraig already has hundreds of signatures and over the next few weeks they intend to get as many people as possible to back them.

Veteran campaigners Brian Menzies and former councillor Willie Clarke are championing the Glencraig cause and they have been overwhelmed at support the petition has received.

The issue came to a head way back in February when Cowdenbeath Area Committee heard Brian and Willie make a plea that an apparent change in the Benarty CC's boundary to follow the Fitty Burn be changed as it was wrong.

They said that this put the main part of Glencraig village in Lochgelly which should not be the case.

So the Boundaries Group was set up to promote the cause which the members feel is protecting the history of Glencraig.

Said Willie Clarke: "We are talking about a decision taken somewhere in Fife Council which has no historic base at all.

"Glencraig ran from Garry Park in the north to where Lochgelly High School is now and was a village of 1,500 people at the height of the coal industry.

"The shops, school, pub and houses run northwards so to pluck the Fitty Burn as a marker for the boundary is wrong.

"We are talking about the death of a famous village and it is wrong."

Brian added: "During Benarty Gala we had the petition with us at the Meadows and people were queueing up to sign it.

"The words of it are simple, 'we the undersigned support the Benarty boundary encompassing all Glencraig as the correct boundary.'

"By the end of the gala we had 400 signatures on the petition and now there are a lot more."

Willie went on to say: "Once complete we will be submitting the petition to Cowdenbeath Area Committee and we also intend to take this matter to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament.

"A village cannot be just removed by the stroke of a pen. There is an awful lot of history which says the Fitty Burn boundary is totally wrong and we will not be giving up with this campaign."