Lochgelly

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Map sources for Lochgelly at grid reference NT186936

Lochgelly (Gaelic: Loch Gheallaidh) is a town in Fife, Scotland. It was originally a mining town, but with the industry now dead the town has slipped into economic and social deprivation as with other former mining towns. Lochgelly is now classed as town in need of regeneration "economically and socially". It is separated from Cowdenbeath by the village of Lumphinnans.

Lochgelly is also the home of the most reputed firm that produced tawses, from the Fife town, and hence a synonym (spelled without a capital L) for that typically Scottish device for corporal punishment.

To tackle issues of multiple deprivation in the town various organisations such as the Coalfields Regeneration Trust have been given funding monies to distribute locally via community based groups such as social enterprises, charities and voluntary groups.

There are various social enterprises, charities, and voluntary groups based within Lochgelly that share the same ethos - 1. Not for profit, 2 - regeneration of the local community whether this is through training and education, affordable furniture, advice and information etc.

Organisations working in the area include: Subliminal Directions, BabyGROE, Recycle Fife, Living Solutions (Scotland), Furniture Plus Ltd, TIBAL, BRAG Enterprises Ltd and much more.

All these organisations work with the local community on a group and individual basis to try and develop the skill base to help tackle and solve the levels of deprivation in Lochgelly.

The Voice Magazine & the Lochgelly Community Regneration Fourm (LCRF) Lochgelly has a free magazine distributed locally to every home in the town, this service is provided by the Lochgelly Community Regneration Forum, the magazine is designed for free by a locally based not for profit Social Enterprise (Subliminal Directions). The LCRF is a group of voluntary members made up from the local community which acts as a middle ground between the local community and Fife Council. The LCRF represents the local communities interest and provides a forum to raise local issues with the Fife Council.

The local community is encouraged to attend LCRF public meetings and share their views, opinions about the local community, the LCRF then relate any concerns back to Fife Council and provide an official body to encourage Fife Council to adapt their practices that are more beneficial to the local community of Lochgelly.

More information about the LCRF & The Voice Magazine can be found here.

1 Sport
- 1.1 Football
2 Trivia
3 External links

[edit] Sport

[edit] Football

Lochgelly is home to the junior football club Lochgelly Albert F.C. Former clubs include Lochgelly United F.C. who played in the senior leagues between 1890 and 1928 and Lochgelly Violet.

[edit] Trivia

It was announced in the U.K. press on April 23, 2007, that Lochgelly has the cheapest average home price in Britain (£104,738) and was the final place in the country to have had an average property price less than £100,000.^{[citation needed]} Lochgelly as part of the old parliamentary constituency of West Fife was known as "Little Moscow" up to the 1950s owing to its Communist political leanings.