After more than half a century at the heart of Glenrothes life, one of the town’s most popular social clubs is to leave its historic home next month.
The CISWO, on the town’s North Street, is to relocate to its new premises on nearby South Street as part of plans to regenerate the wider town centre.
It will bring an end to 51 years of nights out and social gatherings at one of the New Town’s oldest haunts, with the building to be demolished to make way for a retail and leisure development.
Acknowledging that the move will benefit the club in the long run, the CISWO’s David Nelson said the move would also help the Glenrothes economy.
“It will be sad to leave the old building,” he said.
“Personally, I‘ve been here for 30 years now and the building has served its purpose well and brought a lot of people together.
“But we have to move with the times, and it is exciting to be moving on. This is something for future generations and will be a real boost for the town centre as well.”
The new CISWO is scheduled to open on November 10, with tickets for the opening celebration to be distributed between existing members.
Having opened originally as a social club for the town’s growing population in 1966, the CISWO has been at the heart of local life ever since.
However, to make way for the new North Street retail complex, the club has been moved to South Street, where it has been gifted Fife Council’s former social work building.
There are already plans to mark the club’s mining roots by naming new bars after the Frances and Seafield collieries, but Mr Nelson said that it was the future that was exciting him.
He added: “It will be different, but we’ve got 14 darts tournaments booked for next year already and they will sell out.
“We are still waiting for the tables and chairs to be delivered, and the bars are also being built still, but we will definitely open on November 10.”
