Published: Tuesday, 22nd June, 2010 8:50am

Former PM pledges to work with pupils as Beath High marks centenary

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LOCAL MP Gordon Brown has pledged to help young people in Cowdenbeath and throughout Fife get the facilities which matter to them.

During a visit to Beath High School last week to celebrate its centenary year, Mr Brown invited pupils to tell him what was lacking in the area and offered to work with them to ensure their needs were met.

Looking relaxed as he chatted to pupils while perched on a desk, the former Prime Minister said, "I want to know what there is to do for young people, especially younger teenagers, at evenings and weekends and what we could do to improve facilities and amenities for teenagers in Fife and whether we can use colleges and sports centres more effectively.

"We know there are currently about 100,000 people in Fife who don't have the facilities to use the Internet and we've got to get it to these people."

One pupil told him they'd like to see more live music in the area.

Mr Brown said, "There is a course run at the Adam Smith College in Glenrothes where you can create your own CD, but it would be interesting if this school could run a project where pupils looked at what is available and what is not."

During his visit to the school Mr Brown carried out his first media interview since leaving Downing Street, but with a difference... the pupils were asking the questions!

The former Prime Minister was grilled for half an hour by Modern Studies pupils on issues ranging from globalisation, the collapse of the banks and Cowdenbeath Football Club.

He told the pupils that the greatest person he had met was Nelson Mandella, and also told them about the One Goal campaign at the World Cup, aimed at getting children in Africa to school.

"There are 77 million children in the world who do not have the chance to be educated - it's outrageous," he said. "Part of the campaign is also to make healthcare free. That was part of Nelson Mandella's legacy - to reduce poverty. His biggest dream was for every child to achieve their potential.

"Nelson Mandella is certainly the greatest man I've ever met. He made it his life's work to end apartheid in South Africa and spent all those years in prison and came out without any bitterness, even towards those who'd tried to have him executed."

He told pupils how he had once sat next to Mandella at an AIDS charity concert and had to explain to him who Amy Winehouse was.

He continued, "Then, when I was speaking to his wife, she said that both Amy and her had one thing in common - both their husbands spent a long time in prison!"

Asked whether he'd be supporting Cowdenbeath or Raith Rovers in the First Division next season, Mr Brown replied, "My father was a Cowdenbeath fan but I support Raith Rovers as I was brought up in Kirkcaldy. But I think Danny Lennon has done a brilliant job in Cowdenbeath. We've got to make sure now that the future of Central Park is secure and I look forward to being there next season to watch their matches."

The local MP also took time to meet over 200 pupils and hear first hand from them what it is like to go to Beath and live in Fife. Acknowledging the achievement of the school, he said, "I have been following the ongoing progress being made by everyone at Beath and I am very proud to be associated with this school as its local MP. I have written to the Director of Education at Fife Council to request a personal briefing on the issues and options for the future of education in Fife."

The MP praised Fife Education, saying that no matter where he had gone he had always been proud to talk about the quality and commitment to 'frontline education' in Fife. He said, "I want to thank everyone involved with our schools and nurseries across Fife. We can proudly claim that our schools are amongst the best in the country and in the coming months I intend to get round as many as possible to show my support for staff, parents and pupils."