Clubs & Communities

Training for safety

Young people learn rail safety while taking part in physical activity in Fife

Thanks to a new project delivered through the Levenmouth Community Sport Hub and Active Schools, school pupils from the Levenmouth area are given the chance to participate in a range of community-based sport, while learning more about safety around railway lines.

A partnership between Active Fife and the Levenmouth Rail Link, will give over 250 young people aged 5-13 the opportunity to try four different sports through local clubs linked to the community sport hub. As well as working with the young people themselves, the initiative will widen its reach to encourage family participation in sport and to promote self-confidence, positive mental health and wellbeing and social connectedness.

The project will run over two years and each club – Buckhaven Bowling Club, Enigma Gymnastics, East Fife Community Football Club and Glenrothes Rugby Football Club – will deliver two six-week blocks to the young people in the communities of East Wemyss, Buckhaven, Leven and Kennoway alongside promoting the benefits and dangers of the installation of the new line.

The four clubs are members of Levenmouth Community Sport Hub, which is part of the national sportscotland community sport hub network that brings sports clubs and community organisations together to improve the contribution sport and physical activity has within communities across Scotland.

Levenmouth is currently the largest populated area in Scotland without a local rail service and so the re-opening of a 5-mile stretch, due to open in 2024 will bring many benefits to the local area. This new partnership will help highlight some of the risks associated with railway lines, particularly to generations who have grown up using the disused line to play, walk or cycle on.

The coaches delivering the sessions have been trained, so they can confidently deliver the key safety messages to the participants using a range of resources and tools, and will implement this training alongside the physical activity.

So far, the project has been able to deliver rail safety messaging to over 50 families from the local community, and already over half the targeted number of young people being given the opportunity to try a new sport and be more active.

Callum Reston, Fife Active Schools coordinator said: “We have developed this initiative with the Rail Link project to offer the young people of Levenmouth a positive way to improve their physical and mental health and to equip themselves with knowledge that will help keep them safe around the railway.

“The railway will bring lots of change to the local area and we want to help make sure that all parts of the community feel better connected and are better placed to take advantage of what opportunities the new train services will bring.

“We are looking forward to seeing the benefits this activity brings to our young people and the wider Levenmouth area.”