Glenrothes is one of Fife’s biggest towns and sits right in the heart of the kingdom.
Created in 1948, this new town was originally built to provide housing and services to the families of miners at Rothes Colliery, a nearby “super pit”.
But when the pit closed, Glenrothes began attracting electronics firms and earned the reputation of Scotland’s Silicon Glen.
It’s now a modern hub and winner of numerous Beautiful Scotland and Britain in Bloom awards.
And it’s also famous for its public art, found everywhere from the town centre to small housing schemes and playparks.
Among its 40,000 residents is Linda Ballingall, a former tourism development officer and marketing manager for Glenrothes Development Corporation.
The 75-year-old was responsible for organising some of the town’s biggest events – from royal visits to a 1991 hot air balloon rally.
And she continues to run Glenrothes and Area Heritage Centre, which she opened in 2009.
She agreed to share 5 of the best things about Glenrothes.
1. The layout of Glenrothes
“The location and layout were fully considered when Glenrothes was first planned and the legacy of that is a beautiful town,” says Linda.
“There’s still a huge amount of green space and beautiful walkways everywhere you go.
“It’s very central. You’re only 10 minutes from a railway station, which means it’s easy to get to Edinburgh or Dundee.
“Everybody says it was built for the miners, and in the early days that’s exactly why they built it.
“But in hindsight, the failure of Rothes Colliery was actually the beginning of Glenrothes as the Scottish Silicon Glen.
“I don’t look on the pit failing as a disaster – quite the opposite.
“Thanks to inward investment attracting big electronics companies, it became a boom town and one of the most important places in Scotland.”
2. Hippo sculptures and other town art
“Where else can you find town art that’s had worldwide recognition?
“In particular, we have Stan Bonnar’s hippo sculptures which really caught the imagination and, in a way became synonymous with Glenrothes.”
Stan Bonnar is the father of actor Mark Bonnar, who made a documentary about the creation of the original concrete hippos 50 years ago.
And Linda says: “It’s a strange animal to be associated with but, thanks to Stan Bonnar, that’s happened.
“In addition, there are a huge number of open spaces and smaller parks where town art is on show.
“And we also have the lovely bird sculpture outside Fife House.
“There was a BBC series called Scotland From The Sky, which featured the Glenrothes town art and it is regularly repeated, which shows the interest in it.”
3. Riverside Park in Glenrothes
“The council has announced a £5 million upgrade of Riverside Park, which will be great.
“However, the park is already wonderful even without that.
“It’s right in the centre of Glenrothes and was originally part of the Rothes Estate.
“A lot of the paths that run through the park were actually carriage tracks that ran to Leslie House, where the Earl of Rothes lived.
“The play areas in the park were created by Glenrothes Development Corporation and Fife Council has done an excellent job of maintaining them.
“The park is a gem – it’s beautiful and extensive.
“It covers a much wider area than you imagine and some of the town art is dotted through it.
“There’s a group called Friends of Riverside Park, who do a magnificent job of keeping it all pristine.
“And it’s definitely one of my 5 favourite things about Glenrothes.”
4. Glenrothes churches
“The churches in Glenrothes have, from the very, very beginning, played a huge role.
“Although, sadly, the numbers attending churches everywhere are diminishing, they still have a massive role and do far more than I think the general public realise.
“Organisations that run every single week are very well attended, including by non-church goers.
“The churches have come together to share services and still do everything they can to serve people in the way they always did.
“They just get on with it and do it quietly but a lot of people benefit from it.”
5. Rothes Halls
“The Rothes Halls was set up to be a theatre complex and community centre for different things to happen.
“However, it was taken over by OnFife some years ago.
“It gets some fabulous acts, including a lot of tribute acts, and they’re all superb.
“And it also gets household names, including singers and comedy stars.
“It really is an important resource in the town.
“Meanwhile, I moved the Glenrothes and Area Heritage Centre into Rothes Halls last year and that’s helping to bring visitors in during the day.
“And I’m also working on putting on matinee shows to mark the end of the town’s 75th year.”
Conversation