The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Campaign pressing for much-loved Pittenweem model village to be rebuilt.
Gem at rubbish tip will be rebuilt by worker whose retirement sparked its removal
A campaign to rebuild a much-loved attraction in Pittenweem is gathering pace after a mix-up saw a model village wrongly removed from the recycling centre.
Residents were left dismayed after workers hauled away the small-scale settlement from Charles Street, where it had been built over many years by recycling centre worker Rab Elder and his colleagues using odds and ends people had thrown away.
Staff tended the intricate display during breaks and after work, and their efforts transformed a corner of the rubbish tip to cheer up people of all ages.
However, a breakdown in communication led to the village being taken down last month.
Staff mistakenly thought the model would have to be removed because Mr Elder was retiring.
Bosses at Resource Efficient Solutions, the arms-length organisation which runs Fife’s recycling sites, have insisted that is not the case and say they want to work with residents to get it reinstated.
A social media drive for people to donate items has now started and Mr Elder has been invited back to oversee the rebuilding programme. Councillor Linda Holt said she had been told by the chief operating officer of Resource Efficient Solutions that the village was not to be removed.
She said she had been “horrified” when she saw only a few shrubs and barren soil left behind.
She said it had been a “mistake everyone is very sorry about”.
“The chief operating officer was clear to me that the model village was a thing of beauty which he wanted to see retained, not least because many people have contacted him about it,” she added.
“Rab has been given permission to come in and create a new village. I hope
Rab has been given permission to come in and create a new village
a community group will come together now to support him in this work.”
A Facebook page is being created for people who want to get involved to rebuild the village, which formerly featured dolls houses, toy cars, a miniature railway and even a lighthouse.
Robin Baird is chief operating officer at Resource Efficient Solutions. He said: “We are happy to work with the community to reinstate the village but need to be careful as it is a working site so access needs to be carefully maintained.”
Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Rab Elder’s model village at Pittenweem recycling centre is a fantastic example of this, as is the show of community spirit that followed its accidental destruction.
A social media drive started urging people to donate items gathered so much momentum that Mr Elder has been invited back to oversee the rebuilding programme.
This truly is a small community with a big heart.