Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New Lochore Meadows visitor centre will bear Willie Clarke’s name

Post Thumbnail

Britain’s last Communist councillor will have a lasting legacy in the form of a new visitor centre at a popular Fife park, it has been agreed.

Members of the Cowdenbeath area committee have backed a motion calling for the new £1 million facility planned for Lochore Meadows Country Park to be named after Willie Clarke in recognition of his immeasurable contribution to the local area.

After more than 40 years of public service, Mr Clarke stood down as a councillor for the Lochs ward earlier this year due to ill health, but his former colleagues and friends on the area committee said they wished to ensure the highly-respected Fifer’s name graces the new centre for generations to come.

Council officers have now been asked to consult with local community groups and the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust to seek their opinion on the proposal and agree a suitable name for the new centre, although the Willie Clarke Visitor Centre appears to be the frontrunner.

Councillor Alex Campbell, who lodged the motion to committee, said it would be a fitting tribute to someone who has devoted the best part of his life to serving the people of Fife.

“I went to see Willie and when I told him about this he was pretty much grinning from ear to ear,” he said.

“Willie has been involved in helping to develop the park over the years and it now attracts a huge number of visitors.

“He campaigned to get sand at the water and every time I go past on my bike there are loads of bairns there. He wanted to have a putting green there and now there’s a nine-hole course there as well as a putting green.

“One of the real grievances that he’s got is that the bus doesn’t go there, and he’s still campaigning for that to happen.

“Willie has a real soft spot for the Meedies and his contribution has been honourable.”

dct_lochore_meadows_ (2)

Seconding the motion, Councillor Mary Lockhart added: “Nobody is so much a piece of living history than Willie Clarke.

“Willie’s association with the Meedies and its history goes back well before my lifetime.

“Fife Council has built a tremendous resource in Lochore Meadows Country Park and it’s one I don’t believe would have developed the way it has without Willie Clarke’s input, clout and tenacity.

“The new building has been part of Willie’s dream.”

Committee members also highlighted Mr Clarke’s positive role he played in the mining industry through the mining union, both locally and nationally, and suggested the new centre could and should be extended to include some form of mining heritage facility.

“Willie would be really pleased to see that happen because it’s the one thing that Fife is missing – a proper heritage centre to recognise the contribution of mining to this area,” concluded Councillor Linda Erskine.