EVERYTHING is coming up roses for the residents of Hill of Beath, as they publish their Five-year Community Action Plan as part of the Coalfields Community Futures initiative.

The local Community Garden will receive a £13,000 boost from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust’s £25,000 participatory budget to help get the plan up and running.

Hill of Beath Hawthorn Junior Football Club will receive £4,000 to refurbish their showers, and the local Community Group will receive £8,000 to set up a Bio Diversity Area in the boggy, wooded area at the foot of the local park.

Dot Smith, Chair and Secretary of the Community Group said: “We wanted to do something with this area, but a drainage scheme would have cost us £50,000 which was clearly out of the question.

“We decided to work with Mother Nature, rather than try to fight her, and started planning our Bio Diversity area, which will encourage all sort of creatures into the area.

“We will put in boardwalks to give children from the Primary School the chance to study those creatures in what will essentially be an outdoor classroom.”

Among the moves to encourage wild life are: a bug and beastie hotel, a bee nester, a hedgehog home and a frog and toad shelter as well as willow tree wigwams and tunnels.

Dot Smith added: “We are delighted that the children from Hill of Beath Primary will get what we are sure will be loads of fun in our Bio Diversity area.

“The school children have been the biggest single group contributing to the Coalfields Community Futures initiative, both by filling in survey forms and voting for the projects that emerged”.

Steering Group member Willie Bishop said: “We are confident our new Action Plan will make a huge difference to the area, with the Community Garden’s floral displays, benches and artwork, providing a real focus for the community.

“We are really grateful to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for all their help support and funding, to help make it all happen,”

Scottish Trustee of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust and its Vice Chair Nicky Wilson said: “It’s not every day we fund things like bug hotels and hedgehog homes, but I am sure the local school children will find it all really exciting.

“We wish Hill of Beath every success with their Coalfields Community Futures Five-year Action Plan.