Colinsburgh Community Garden

What the project will include

The general scope of the Colinsburgh Community Garden project is described on pages 6-9 of the Colinsburgh and Kilconquhar Place Plan. The community garden is located within the field to the North and Northeast of Colinsburgh Primary School ('site 1' in the Place Plan). This was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Balcarres Estate who leased the field to Colinsburgh Community Trust in 2024.

In July 2024, the Community Trust applied to the Fife Council Fife Rural Development Fund (FRDF) for funding to take the project forward. The application was successful and FRDF allocated £20,000 to the Community Trust to purchase trees, plants, structures, tools and other materials. Colinsburgh Community Trust thanks Fife Council for its generous allocation.

The money will be used to develop:

• A Community Orchard with a variety of fruit trees suitable for our own climate providing a source of fruit to the local community and the opportunity to educate the children about fruit growing and pressing.
• A Wild Garden providing a corridor of native trees, hedgerows and wildflowers.
• A 'Kids' garden to allow children to learn how to grow their own fruit, flowers and vegetables.This will include a Polytunnel to help the children understand how the season for food growing can be extended.
• A Community Growing Space and Polytunnels for the community to grow food of all types, year round, including raised beds, a composting area and rainwater collection & storage and a small building for tool storage. Installation of an external tap would also be undertaken.
• An existing woodland walk would be developed further, adding extra trees, extending the distance the path runs and ensuring enhanced access for those with limited mobility. 
• A Forest Garden would be added, incorporating an Adventure Trail with natural built shelters (from reclaimed / upcycled materials).
• An Animal Trail with wildlife habitats created (e.g. bird and bat boxes, hedgehog shelters, insect hotels etc.), with Information boards and Wildlife Cameras appropriately positioned.

When the project will be running

FRDF required the Community Trust to spend the grant application by the end of February 2025 with money being released across 3 stages at the end of October, December 2024 and February 2025. Project activities started in November 2024. Planning permission for the garden was sought in parallel with initial implementation activities and planning consent was obtained in early Spring 2026. A new unincorporated charitable organisation (UCO) - 'the Colinsburgh Community Garden' was formed in 2025 with its own management committee, and it agreed a memorandum of understanding with the field leaseholder, Colinsburgh Community Trust. The Colinsburgh Community Garden UCO has its own seperate bank account and can apply for further grant funding in its own right.

How you can help

The garden needs volunteers from within the community to do the following activities:

• Project management and co-ordination
• Garden design and layout
• Receiving deliveries and arranging for storage until needed
• Transporting materials onto site
• Constructing polytunnels, sheds, fruit cages etc.
• Ground preparation for planting out
• Light landscaping work (paths etc.)
• Planting
• General maintenance once established

All volunteers will be supported by the Colinsburgh Community Garden Management Committee.

Finding out how the project is progressing

We'll provide information on the progress of the project here on this website, on the Community Garden dedicated website, and also on the Community Facebook page.