Winners of Burntisland Community Awards 2025 revealed


Two worthy winners have been chosen by the Royal Burgh of Burntisland Community Council for the annual award, which this year has winners in both the individual and group categories.
Colin Blackwood is the winner in the individual category for his work in coaching local youngsters golf at Burntisland Golf House Club, while the volunteers running the newly set up Burntisland and Kinghorn Foodbank are the recipients of the award in the group category.
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Hide AdThe award has been presented annually by the Royal Burgh of Burntisland Community Council for over 40 years to recognise excellence and compassion among local people.


The community council chose Colin as the winner this year in “recognition of the support and dedication given over several years to coaching youngsters in the skills of golf in Burntisland”.
Through Colin’s hard work the juniors section at Burntisland Golf House Club has been revitalised and is now thriving with a substantial membership.
A spokesperson for the community council said: “Colin was a keen social golfer, but over the last few years has worked hard to ensure that local youngsters can easily access Scotland’s real ‘beautiful game’.
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Hide Ad"As well as attending coaching sessions, Colin organises regular Junior competitions, tournaments and liaises with other Junior clubs. He ensures that golf is a fun and safe activity for all the youngsters.
"Colin has been described as ‘a modest man who is kind and good with young people, and volunteers because he believes opportunities to golf should be available to everyone.”
Colin, 55, said that on settling in Burntisland 15 years ago he quickly joined Burntisland Golf House Club.
He said: “My youngest son is a keen golfer and I became aware that there wasn’t much happening at the golf club for junior golfers in Burntisland. I spoke with assistant professional Craig Armstrong and between us we came up with the plan of creating a junior academy with regular coaching groups creating a pathway from complete novice to established junior golfers.
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Hide Ad"We have been established for over three years now and we have seen complete beginners develop into single figure handicap golfers.
"But the main achievement is including the whole community. In the past it was easy to get youngsters from ‘golfing’ backgrounds into golf but I wanted to make golf available to all to dispel the myths of golf being expensive and exclusive.
"With the generous help of Scottish Golf and their Club Hire Fund we have been able to get equipment that parents can borrow at no cost while they see if their child takes to golf, before having to spend any money on golf clubs thus attracting youngsters into golf from the community at large with the long term aim of establishing the golf club at the heart of the community.”
Speaking about the Community Award, Colin said: “I felt very proud and humbled to receive the award and recognition, not just for my efforts but the work of a lot of people at the golf club.
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Hide Ad"The golf course is maybe on the periphery of the town, but its heart is in the middle of the community.”
The hard work and dedication of a team of volunteers who set up, organised and began to operate a new local foodbank won them recognition as the winners of this year’s group/team community award.
The newly established Burntisland and Kinghorn Foodbank came into operation in the summer and the team behind it ensured that service users did not suffer any interruption.
The original Burntisland Foodbank was an arm of the Kirkcaldy Foodbank which had expanded into the town.
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Hide AdHowever at the start of 2024, Kirkcaldy Foodbank made the difficult decision that it was no longer able to support the Burntisland Foodbank due to increasing pressure on its resources and would withdraw its support in July.
The threat to the local foodbank drew an immediate response from the community and existing and new volunteers rallied together.
The community council spokesperson said: "In a very short time, volunteers, administration, funding by one off and regular donations, and all the practicalities of storage and operating systems were in place.
"This enabled the new Foodbank to run from the same premises in the Salvation Army Hall and on the same days with no break in service to its users. In December they ran a ‘reverse Advent’ Christmas gift system and worked with Central Burntisland Tenants and Residents Association and others to support the delivery of food parcels to those in need in our community.”
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