A COWDENBEATH voluntary group has exceeded its fundraising target of £20,000 in under a year!

The Broad Street Centre Legacy Group are this week celebrating the announcement of two additional funders, taking the total raised to £24,400 since the group was formed in July last year.

The Group is to put together a major programme to commemorate the end of the road for what was one of Fife's first ever community centres.

It will be replace by the brand new Maxwell Centre, in Stenhouse Street, which is scheduled to open later this year.

The organisation confirmed grant support from the Shell UK Community Fund and Fife Council’s Cowdenbeath Area Committee at a cheque presentation held at the Broad Street Centre.

Shell UK, who operate the nearby Fife NGL Plant at Mossmorran, have donated £3500 towards a public exhibition of photos marking nearly four decades of youth work in the town. Over 3000 pictures have been found in archives at the Community Centre and donated by retired Community Workers Kenny Aitken and Evelyn Irvine.

Before the recent Council elections, Fife Council’s Cowdenbeath Area Committee agreed a donation of £3000 for the Legacy Group at the Centre. The funds will be used to hold an awards night to recognise the huge effort of Centre volunteers over the last 40 years, as well as an indoor Street Party for residents living in the local area.

A number of other projects are already underway to mark the closure of the Broad Street Centre.

Speaking at the cheque presentation in Cowdenbeath, Legacy Group chairman, Danny Kinloch said: “It’s a fantastic achievement to burst through our fundraising target already and we want to say a huge thanks to Shell, and of course our partners at Fife Council, for their very generous donations.” See also page 21.