TALES of mining life in Fife are to help boost the coffers of a project aiming to display a range of pit equipment in Lochore Meadows.

Iain Chalmers has vowed to donate the proceeds of his newly released book, Beneath the Kingdom: Memoirs of a Miner, to the Save the Cage group.

The book, he said, contains some hilarious and some harrowing tales from Iain's life as a miner including the miners' strike of 1984, an event he describes as 'The Long Weekend'.

"The book is a must-read for anyone who was a miner, or is interested in mining heritage, and for those who have an interest in the social and cultural history of our community," he said.

"The stories are in chronological order how I started on the surface at Comrie Colliery then went underground.

"How I designed miners' badges to raise funds for Scottish Victimised Miners after the strike and the pit plates designed to help raise funds for mining monuments in the coalfield."

Iain submitted several of his mining stories to various groups on social media sites and said the response to the stories was fantastic with many people saying he should write a book.

Also covered is his involvement in preserving mining artefacts which he gifted to both Kirkcaldy Museum and the Scottish National Mining Museum to be kept so that future generations will understand the impact coal mining had on Fife.

Iain has written the stories in the local dialect and in a unique style which he describes as "pit talk".

The book costs £10 plus postage and packaging. Anyone wishing to buy one can contact the Save the Cage group on Facebook.

The Save the Cage group was given a further boost recently with a donation of £1,000 from the Muir Construction Group.

In December last year, the Times reported that a mining heritage "theme park" could be created at Lochore Meadows after proposals were given official backing.

Both the National Mining Museum Scotland and Fife Council have agreed to support the idea from Cowdenbeath man Iain for the area which is close to where the Mary Pit Head is situated.

The latest donation will help these plans progress.

Iain added: "We are certainly most grateful for this donation which will be a great boost in achieving our aim to have interactive machinery in the park telling the story of a miners journey from the surface to the coalface."