TWO bells from Benarty's lost churches have been given pride of place at the entrance to Lochore Meadows Country Park.
The unveiling last Thursday brought to a successful conclusion a long ringing campaign to raise the money and find a suitable new home for the historic artefacts.
The 'Benarty Bells' were gifted to the community after the church buildings of St Kenneth's RC Church and Lochcraig Parish Church were knocked down.
At the unveiling, the former chairman of Benarty Community Council, Stephen Nardone, said: "The Bells Project Group was formed by parishioners from both churches and they, along with the heritage group and the community council, worked tirelessly to bring this project to its conclusion.
"We are truly indebted to the councillors who secured the funding to make this possible.
"I'm sure you'll all agree that the work carried out by Fife Council staff is first class and a credit to everybody concerned.
"The attention to detail is outstanding and they've created a very fitting monument, built locally as the Bells project."
He continued: "Sadly some of the founding members of the group are no longer with us, however I think they would be very happy to see ho the monument has turned out.
"We would like to thank everyone involved. There have been bumps and delays along the road but at last the bells have their new home."
One of the hold-ups occurred last August when the council placed the bell from St Kenneth's in the new rock climbing centre in Lochgelly, a blunder that caused a real ding dong in Benarty.
It was even placed on a new plinth that said it was the 'Lochgelly Town House Bell' and it was only after Brian Menzies, from Benarty Heritage and Preservation Group, contacted the Times to point out the error that it began to chime with the local authority that they'd made a mistake.
The bell was then removed so it could be placed at the entrance to the Meedies.
Both churches were located just a few hundred yards away from the entrance to the country park, where Fife Council apprentices built the new enclosure.
After the unveiling a spokesperson for the Bells Project Group said: "It has been a long time since this project was started and we have been through a rollercoaster of emotions wondering if this day would ever come.
"However, we never gave up and are delighted with the results we see here today.”
Lochcraig Parish Church was completed in Glencraig in May 1904.
It closed in 2000 and the congregation united with St Serf's Church of Scotland the following year.
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St Kenneth's RC Church opened in Glencraig in December 1924.
After a fire the church closed in March 2002 and the building remained empty for some years until it was demolished.
In October 2018 the former parishes of St Kenneth's and St Bernard's in Ballingry joined with St Patrick's in Lochgelly to form the parish of St Patrick's Lochgelly and Ballingry.
Councillor Alex Campbell, convener of the Cowdenbeath area committee, said: “I’d like to thank our apprentices for taking pride in this project and completing the enclosure to the high standard that these bells deserve.
“Both churches formed a key role in the local community and this enclosure will allow church members see their places of worship commemorated and have the opportunity to reflect on an important part of history.”
An interpretation panel next to the enclosure gives more insight into the story of the Benarty Bells.
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