CLEAR TIMELINE – some Key Milestones
July 2007 A few local residents get together to carry out some litterpicking along the Fife Coastal Path and convene a first meeting in Buckhaven Community Centre. a first stall held at Buckhaven Gala to raise initial funds
2008-09 Spring bulb planting programme commenced around road approaches into Buckhaven. Winter season planting of native and fruit trees begins on Buckhaven Ness Braes.
Oct 2008 First Neighbourhood Award (with Merit!) recognition under the Beautiful Scotland/RHS scheme (and awarded annually since then – assessed as Outstanding annually from 2012).
Mar 2009 First small-scale landscaping tasks completed (railings at Church and Theatre, Bank Corner beds, wall mural etc)
Aug 2009 Recognition -`Silver’ award under Beautiful Fife scheme (and awarded annually since then – Gold in 2017 and thereafter)
Jan 2011 Buckhaven heritage project (funded by Heritage Lottery Fund) launches, gathering material, running talks and classes, events, creating two heritage trails and installing many interpretation panels and plaques around town (ended March 2014).
June 2011 First two staff employed under Climate Challenge Fubd Project focused on food growing, energy efficiency and otherl and a first office established I Buckhaven Theatre
Mar 2012 Buckhaven Growing (Bountiful Buckhaven) in Omar Cres acquired, formally opened by local charity hero Mary Parry and over 100 Scots fruit trees planted,
Nov 2012 After 5 years as a community group, CLEAR formally registers as a charity with OSCR (reg no. SCO43573) with formal constitution, five Trustees
Jan 2014 Purchase of small office at 36 College St (after 3 years of negotiation), and volunteers start running it as a hub and meeting place
Mar 2014 After a failed attempt two years earlier, CLEAR launches the Levenmouth Rail Campaign and hosts the first few meetings at the Hub (which has continued as the Campaign’s registered office). CLEAR volunteers remain prominent in the wider activist group established, to this day.
Jan 2016 Starkies Wood regeneration project completed – paths, landscaping and wet scrapes, large tree planting, native and fruit tree planting, benches, display boards, bulbs and wildflower, totems. CLEAR raised £38,000 from Fife Environment Trust and £12,000 from other sources. Fife Council were an implementing partner
Feb 2016 Tree avenue along Methilhaven Rd restored complementing extensive planting of roadside spring bulbs
May 2016 One hundredth Board Meeting takes place
Feb-Apr 2017 Buckhaven Links! charrette process organized by CLEAR carried out involving extensive community which produced the Buckhaven Community Action Plan 2018-23 and Spatial Master Plan
Oct 2017 A third Fife Volunteer of the Year received at the annual FVA Awards (the first in 2008)
Nov 2017 Short-listed finalist in national SURF Awards Best Practice in Community-Led Regeneration.
Mar 2018 Methil Community Garden off Kirkland Drive opened by local charity notable Amy Matheson. A line of large rowans and spring bulbs along had been planted along Kirkland Drive over several months previous
Aug 2018 Buckhaven recognised as Best Small Town in Fife under the Beautiful Fife awards with Methil entered for the first time, achieving Bronze. To clarify, it is CLEAR that enters these schemes and displays its own work
Sep 18-Mar 19 CLIMB Project. CLEAR raised £63,000 from the Scottish Govt for Community Choices, a participatory budgeting exercise which distributed funds to 41 local groups (divided equally between Buckhaven and Methil) based on voting by 27% of the population.
Feb 2020 CLEAR’s registered charity name officially changed to CLEAR Buckhaven & Methil to reflect our actual work in this historic adjoining community (the former Burgh of Buckhaven & Methil)
Dec 2020 First round of planting of trees (and later wildflower) at Savoy Park as part of a rewilding scheme to create biodiversity corridors in this large, mown grass park fitting with Fife Council parks Rewilding strategy.
Sept 21 Development phase of the Methil Community Garden completed with polytunnel, community cabin, amphitheatre, kids’ area and other sections completed and planted.
Mar 2022 Buckhaven Foreshore project completes its second phase and path, trimtrail, ten benches 4 picnic tables, wall mural and heritage panels have been installed, and many trees large and small, tens of thousands of bulbs and flowers planted to enhance a formerly neglected site. CLEAR raised most funds for this, directly planted trees and bulbs; Council laid path and benches, tables which we provided). More improvements are planned.