THE Benarty area was built on coal and last week pupils from the villages' primary schools were able to see 'at the coal face' how many of their grandfathers earned their living.

Through Benarty Heritage Preservation Group groups of 25 pupils from Benarty and St Kenneth's schools visited the Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange.

The Lady Victoria Colliery, home of the National Mining Museum Scotland, was opened in 1895 as Scotland’s first super-pit.

It ceased production in 1981 and now serves as an example of one of the best preserved Victorian Collieries in Europe.

The four-acre Midlothian site effectively captures the developments in mining over generations and highlights include the most powerful steam winding engine in Scotland; the most extensive preserved suite of Lancashire Boilers in the UK, and the only extant timber Dredger in Europe.

The public areas of the Museum occupy a small proportion of the site and are the result of successive programmes of Heritage Lottery Fund, European Regional Development Fund and Historic Scotland capital development. A Grade ‘A’ listed site, the terrain bears the scars of industrial development, environmental exploitation and exposure to the elements. The majority of the surface structures are composed of brick, steel and iron and, despite their architectural significance, some remain in a derelict state.

The schools went on different days and 50 of them had a fantastic time and they had many questions to ask.

The youngsters were very interested to see how the colliery systems worked and could see how their relatives earned their livings over the years.

Teachers who accompanied their pupils also found it very interesting and there were many questions asked of the guides who are volunteers.

Said the Heritage Group's Brian Menzies, who accompanied the kids: "The children were brilliantly behaved and they found it a very interesting experience.

"The Benarty economy was built on coal with the two collieries, Glencraig and the Mary employing more than 2,000 men.

"Glencraig, Crosshill, Lochore and Ballingry grew to become big communities through coal and the youngsters found out how the pits worked through the knowledgeable guides."

Also there was former local councillor and NUM official Willie Clarke, a member of BHPG added: "It was good to see the interest shown by the kids in coal and they found answers to a lot of questions."

On the local mining heritage side the Save the Cage Fund is up and running thanks to a donation made last week.

The Fund is about being able to raise money to transport a Frances Colliery cage, which carried miners up and down the pit shaft, and has been lying with other equipment in Methil, to Lochore Meadows Country Park.

Cowdenbeath man Robert Chalmers, who is championing the Save the Cage Fund, said: "Ross Cuthill, who wanted to make a contribution to the Save the Cage Fund, visited me and gave a donation of £100.

"This is the first donation to the fund and was gratefully received.

"We have also launched a crowdfunding page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/save-the-cage and we hope the people of Fife will help us to preserve a valuable coal mining artefact so that future generations can experience standing on a pit cage and imagine travelling into the bowels of the earth".

Added Robert: "The hope is that the items of equipment can be kept in a mining heritage facility at the Meadows.

"We believe strongly that the impact of having these artefacts the Cage, the coal-cutter and the mine car, can help to give schoolchildren in the area an understanding of their heritage and will be a valuable asset to have in Lochore Meadows Country Park.

"People can visit the Save the Cage Page on Facebook for further information and updates".