IT is great that Ian Rankin has agreed to go to Beath High to help the school Hardship Fund.

It was interesting to read in the Times that half the pupils at our secondary school are judged to be livin in a family that is classed as in poverty.

That opened by eyes because while I thought that there would be a reasonable number of kids at the school being in poverty I was gobsmacked that it was as high as 50 per cent.

However, it is good that the Beath Hardship Fund has been set up and it is sure to get good backing from the school community and the town in general.

To get Ian Rankin to come to his old school was a great idea and it shows that he has not forgotten his roots.

Hopefully there will be a big turn out next week to hear about how he has gone about writing his Rebus novels that have made him the success he is.

There are a lot of FPs who have done well in the world and how about Scott Brown talking about how a Hill of Beath boy became Scotland captain.

I am sure he would fill the school hall.

The rector deserves a lot of praise for the way he is going about this and hopefully it will be a big success.

HARDSHIP FUND,

Selkirk Avenue,

Cowdenbeath.