THE Benarty Heritage Preservation Group is planning to have a memorial built at Lochore Meadows to remember the local miners who lost their lives digging the Black Diamonds.

The Group's annual general meeting heard that they have applied for stakeholder membership at Lochore Meadows Country Park and they hope that the coal industry, which the Benarty community is built on, can be remembered with a monument.

Chairman, Tony Zimny, told the agm: "The Group voted to consider the building of a miners' memorial at Lochore Meadows Country Park, to honour the miners who lost their lives pursuing their employment in the Benarty area.

"Contact with Mr. Ivan Woods has been made and we are awaiting design details and costings".

The group also proposed that a memorial publication, in memory of the late founding member, Arthur Nevay, entitled “The Lost Village Of Glencraig”, be published. Details are still being gathered but the project is ongoing.

Mr Zimny added: "This has been a somewhat busy and successful year for BHPG. The Group, at its annual open day in November 2018, submitted five new publications for the general public’s review. The book “Below the Sleeping Giant” was the second of an annual publication and was warmly welcomed. The third edition of “Below the Sleeping Giant” is well under way and almost ready for publication.

"The Group published the Benarty 1911 census in three volumes, namely The Ballingry and Lochore, Crosshill and Glencraig Census. The fifth publication was the “Benarty Patriots” the fallen of WW1. TheGgroup hope that these publications will be used as research tools for future publications".

The chairman said that the Group now have a forum where all their publications are displayed and are offered for sale. This is at The Willie Clarke Centre, at Lochore Meadows, in the form of a display case. A similar display case awaits erection in the Benarty Community Centre. The Group would like to thank Ventient Energy & Foundation Scotland, operators of the Wind Farm at Westfield, for their financial support in the publishing of those books in 2018.

The Group continues to build their relationship with the local primary schools by sponsoring a visit to the National Mining Museum at Newtongrange and on is scheduled for September. The Group also provides copies of their publications to the local schools and Benarty and Dunfermline Libraries.

Mr Zimny added: "The Group has been fortunate in the quality of a diverse number of speakers who have entertained and educated us on a number of topics including Mining Heritage, My Jute Journey, and Mining in South Africa.

"We hope that the number of speakers will expand in the coming years and coming up on Tuesday, September 10, Professor David Munro will present "Where Poets Dream'd: Walking the Michael Bruce Way" at 1.45pm for 2.00pm. Then on Tuesday, October 29 Joe Fitzpatrick, (Director of Dig) will present “Lomond Hill Fort” at 1.30pm for 1.45pm

"Members of the public are welcome at these events held at Benarty Centre, Flockhouse Avenue".

He concluded: "I would like to thank Ian Laing and his staff at Lochore Meadows for their support and our members for their hard work and perseverance over the past year. Without your efforts, BHPG would not shine so brightly."