A WOMAN who was a community campaigner in Benarty for over 60 years was warmly remembered at her funeral held today.

Christina White, better known as Twinnie by her army of friends in Ballingry, played a huge role in ensuring the growing township had a community base.

She died in Queen Margaret Hospice aged 93 after a brave fight against a long illness.

Twinnie, who was married to the late Joe White, and mum to sons Joe and Sandy and the late Annette, and a loving gran and great gran, came from the west of Scotland to Ballingry at the beginning of the 1950s as it began to take shape as the large township it is today.

Someone who knew her for over half a century, Jean Adams, recalled: "Twinnie was the first tenant to move into Craigie Street and it was not long before she was helping to create the village's first community centre type facility."

This was what was to become known as the Ballingry Social Club. Said Jean: "There really wasn't anything like a community centre then and the Ladies Circle wanted a place to meet in and funds were started to be raised through coffee mornings and eventually what was called 'the hut' was built off Hill Road, near the church.

"Twinnie was determined that it should become a place that different community groups could use and eventually it was extended so that it had a main hall and a smaller hall, plus a kitchen."

Ballingry would have to wait until the mid 1980s to get a community centre, when the former Benarty Primary school building was turned into one, to be followed in 2012 by the brand new Benarty Community Centre in Flockhouse Avenue.

So the social club filled the gap admirably and Twinnie was determined that it should flourish and started running bus trips to things like Burntisland Highland Games, and pantomimes, which proved very popular.

However, in the 1980s the well appointed building started to suffer from vandalism and was eventually destroyed by fire.

The Navitie Park facility was up and running by then and the Ladies Circle, and other groups who used the Social Club, were housed there and Twinnie kept up her community activities and was selected as Benarty's Citizen of the Year in the early 1990s.

Three years ago Twinnie's 90th birthday was marked with a special event in the Flockhouse Avenue community centre which was a truly great day for her.

The other part of her community involvement was being a long time member of St Serf's Church in Benarty, and Lochore and District Old People's Welfare Council. Chairman for over 40 years, Joe Paterson, said: "Twinnie was part of the Old People's Welfare Council, really since it started and was an incredible personality.

"She was a real 'doer' who wanted to help people and if she felt something was wrong she told you!"

Added Jean: "Twinnie was a larger than life character and an incredible organiser."

A funeral service for Twinnie was held at St Serf's Benarty at noon followed by a short committal at Kirkcaldy Crematorium.