Climbing centre planned for former Fife church

Construction is underway again at the former St Andrews church in Lochgelly which will be transformed into the Rockgelly climbing centre.

The seven-year long project was subject to further delays after lockdown was announced in March.

However, Clark Construction is set to finish work on Bank Street premises at the end of this year - and hopefully the new climbing centre will open to the public in the first half of 2021.

Planning alterations were lodged with Fife Council in June to change the external entrance. These were approved last week.

Cladding walls will be fitted out at the start of next year, and, if all goes according to plan, this should take around two to three months.

The new climbing centre will have a focus on bouldering walls and will include a play area and cafe.

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In the wake of Covid-19, the centre will have a state of the art ventilation system to combat dust, chalk and germs gathering.

All the funding is now in place for the climbing walls, and directors were in discussions this week with the social enterprise Network in Fife to get together a community 'DIY SOS' project for building the site.

The project will be 'community centric' and directors have promised that it will reuse the old pews to encapsulate the history of the church.

Thom Humphrey, a director at Rockgelly said: "People will post up stories saying they got married there, and we'd like to not just brush that aside.

"We'd like to acknowledge that this building has 150 years of history in the town and the fact that it's now completely different inside, I think it needs to connect with the past a little bit."

On plans for a DIY SOS style event, he said: "Whether it's going to take the form of members of the public coming along with paint brushes and we organise a specific event with all the PPE- that's looking a bit less likely now with coronavirus but who knows.

"We are going to work with organisations such as those who get youths at risk and train them up with a trade. That's another possibility.

"Plans are emerging but dates are another thing at the minute."

The centre will also incorporate original elements of the church including the external tower and the internal beams.

Rockgelly is preparing a new website which will include parking guidance for those wishing to visit the centre.

Mr. Humphrey added: "Both the Lochgelly community and the wider climbing community have been very patient whilst we get all these things sorted and I definitely want to thank them for that and reassure them that when we do open we will not be disappointing them."

> Hannah Brown is the Local Democracy Reporter for Fife & Angus

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