PLANS are progressing for a permanent memorial dedicated to the men and women who worked at the former National Coal Board Workshops in Cowdenbeath.

Members of Cowdenbeath Community Council visited the site last week after local resident Iain Chalmers had come up with the idea for a lasting momento to highlight the historical importance of the workshops to the town.

"The idea was to have the Cairn built using bricks, some of which had the brickworks name on them, from the demolished buildings and a plaque dedicated to the workforce," he explained.

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"The company In-Sight Property Solutions were agreeable to the proposal and said a piece of ground and bricks would be allocated for this use."

The plans were put on hold during the coronavirus lockdown and Mr Chalmers, along with fellow local Wullie Clark, met with the site owners recently to discuss the plans.

During the visit, they were shown one surviving building which contains a plaque commemorating the visit of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret to the workshops in 1948.

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Mr Chalmers added: "After the visit the project was discussed and several avenues were explored such as involving local schools by holding a competition to design the memorial, and to volunteers to assist in preparing the bricks for use.

"This memorial on the site of the NCB Workshops would be a permanent reminder of the important part the workshops played in the coal industry of Fife and beyond."

The NCB Workshops started its life carrying our repairs to the pits in Fife but by the mid 20th Century was looking after collieries in all parts of Scotland.

At its peak it employed around 1,000 people and it was the biggest industrial base in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area for many decades.

When the workshops closed 30 years ago it became the Thistle Industrial Estate which has again hosted hundreds of jobs as firms of all shapes and sizes have set up home there.