COMMUNITY groups across Scotland had a windfall on Friday celebrating a £794k cash boost, thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, and £7,500 is coming to Cowdenbeath.

A total of 115 groups, from Lerwick to Dumfries, are shared in £794,384 from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland, which makes grants from £300 to £10,000 to voluntary and community groups across the country.

An award of £7,500 to Cowdenbeath Community Council will bring colour and life to the town centre by creating a range of murals, which have been designed by schoolchildren from Beath High School.

As Alex Haddow, chair of Cowdenbeath Community Council, said, the project will also give local businesses and the wider community a say in the design process.

Said Alex: “We are delighted to be awarded this grant, thanks to National Lottery players which allows us to continue our work.

“Working with a wonderful artist, Kerry Wilson, the whole community has got 100% behind this project, from school children working on the shop shutters project, and helping with designs, to shopkeepers supporting us and even community police helping to wash the shutters".

Alex added: “Going forward we want to continue bringing colour and creativity to the town and this award will help us to literally paint the town red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.”

Isla Cattanach, 16, from Beath High School, was one of the students involved in the project, said: “Being able to use our town as a canvas is a fantastic opportunity and makes me feel so proud to be part of this doing something that I really enjoy whilst bringing colour to the town. "Everyone loves the artwork and I am so glad to be part of such an exciting and creative project.”

The dominating Mural in the town is of course the one at Brunton Square which depicts the mining theme which saw grow so fast in the middle of the 20th century it was called 'The Chicago of Fife'. More mining memorabilia will appear in the Square over the next few months through the SUSTRANS project.