LAST week I was informed by a member of Benarty Community Council that the issue of the boundary between Benarty and Lochgelly was being questioned again a few short months after the death of Willie Clarke.

Obviously I was thankful for the forewarning as my late father, along with Brian Menzies, led the campaign to right the historic wrong and it was important to let Betty and the rest of the family know Lochgelly were pursuing something that was settled in March 2019.

Brian and my father, with the support of a wide section of the Benarty community, had achieved this victory a few months before he went into hospital and we ultimately lost him in late October. Having viewed the letter, which is signed by the chairperson of Lochgelly Community Council, I feel I must respond on behalf of the family especially as it refers to “spurious claims” which sadly my father cannot respond himself to now.

I am sure Benarty CC will reply in the proper way for their own part and I will attempt to do so on my father’s behalf as I know he would have wanted me to. No doubt Lochgelly CC will suggest their words have nothing to do with Willie Clarke but I will let readers decide that for themselves. I will not repeat all the many facts or arguments around this issue but the one thing that should be clear to everyone is that Glencraig was one village and the historical and cultural ties are self-evidently with the rest of the Benarty villages, not Lochgelly.

My father, and those who grew up and lived in South Glencraig, understand that simple fact. It was actually surprising the amount of people that contacted him and Brian offering their support in the campaign through 2018/19 and who believed the fight was also their fight. We are talking about identity here and Lochgelly Community Council were questioning the identity of all of these people.

Many “Glencraigers” still reside in the four Benarty villages and I believe it would be true to say that the whole community was indignant that Lochgelly Community Council was claiming their responsibility stretched to the Fitty burn. In fact the weight of historical and cultural evidence to the contrary, collected by Brian and my father, persuaded the Community & Housing Services Committee to unanimously decide in Benarty’s favour at a special meeting in March 2019. As a matter of record that committee included elected representation from Lochgelly and they were part of that decision.

It’s my belief, being a Lochgelly resident myself, that the majority of Lochgelly people understand the issues and that is the reason the vote that was taken was weighted in Benarty’s favour. It looks to me that they have infinitely more sense than members of their own community council. One of the criteria for any proposed change, according to statute, is evidence of support from the communities themselves. Where is Lochgelly Community Council's evidence for that?

There can be no doubt the campaign, led by Brian Menzies and my father, had widespread community support that included the community council, the Benarty Forum, Heritage Group and a wide section representing the people in the four villages of Benarty and beyond.

I know my father was so proud of the support the local people were offering him and Brian and everywhere they went people encouraged them to stick with it and that included people outside of Benarty as well. Both of them knew they could only ultimately win because of that support.

My father often told me that even in times that are a challenge or if you face setbacks, there are also opportunities. For me there is an opportunity here to reassess what went on during that boundary issue because he believed questions needed to be asked as to the conduct of certain individuals and whether that conduct was becoming of their positions.

To that end, and in the light of Lochgelly Community Council's letter, I will be pursuing answers on his behalf.

WULLIE CLARKE,

Gordon Street,

Lochgelly.