🧭 Could Fife Strikes Be Avoided?

Good morning, Fifers! It’s been a stormy few days in the Kingdom, and it’s definitely added a bit of challenge to my daily coastal walk. On the plus side, it’s given me more time to stay guilt-free indoors and catch up on everything I’ve been falling behind on!

Here’s what's coming your way today:

• Could Fife Strikes Be Avoided?

• A Local Business Helping Fife EV Owners

• How Your Feet Are Helping NHS Fife

• 61 Events to See This Weekend

Let’s jump in, there’s plenty to talk about!

— Duncan

LOCAL HEADLINES YOU NEED TO KNOW

• 🗳️ In Tuesday’s newsletter, I highlighted an interesting report that showed Fife as the place in the UK with the strongest interest in caravans and motorhomes. Our readers seem to reflect that trend; over 40% of participants said they currently owned one, 11% were interested, and 14% used to.

• ⛲ £7,250 has been approved from the St Andrews Common Good Fund to support emergency repairs to the historic Whyte Melville Fountain on Market Street. The work will strengthen foundations and add drainage, allowing the wider restoration project to continue and return the landmark to its original position.

• 🦶 Fife’s Podiatry Service is helping detect atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heart rhythm, during routine foot appointments. By checking patients’ foot pulses, 15 people have already received early diagnosis and treatment, reducing stroke risk and highlighting the importance of prevention and early intervention.

• 💷 Fife Council has launched Lightning Reach, a new online platform designed to make it quicker and easier for residents to access financial support. The system checks eligibility for grants, bill support and other help from local and national organisations through a single online application. See all the details here.

• 🎯 Fife has risen to 11th in Scotland for school leavers reaching a positive destination, with 96.6% of 2024‑25 leavers moving into education, training, or work, up from 93.9% in 2020‑21. Over 4,000 young people progressed, including 1,502 to university and 811 directly into employment.

• 🎓 Research at the University of St Andrews has mapped the colonial connections of 901 students from 1700 to 1897, revealing alumni ties to British India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The study highlights how colonial careers shaped the University, with wealth, donations, and international perspectives influencing St Andrews’ academic and social culture.

• 🏛️ Inverkeithing’s historic Mercat Cross has returned to the town’s market square after specialist conservation work. The restored landmark, repainted to reflect its medieval appearance and fitted with new sundial gnomons, forms part of the wider £4.6m Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration project.

• 🚉 Network Rail plans to install a new steel footbridge at Cardenden Railway Station, including lifts and stairs for step-free access. Work, linked to the Fife Circle line electrification, is expected to start in June 2026 and continue until March 2027, with platforms remaining open where possible.

• 🏗️ A major milestone has been reached in the redevelopment of Cowdenbeath Town House after a construction contract was signed to begin refurbishment. The project, backed by over £2.3m in funding, will transform the landmark into a community hub with a café, meeting spaces, and business units.

• ⚖️ The University of St Andrews was correct to dismiss Rector Stella Maris from University Court after she refused to follow governance rules, a legal judgment by Lord Keen confirmed. Ms Maris has now accepted collective responsibility and agreed to let the Senior Lay Member chair meetings, allowing her to resume her Court role.

TODAY’S TOP STORY

📚 Could Fife Strikes Be Avoided?

Fife parents who've been bracing for school closures on March 17th and 23rd may get welcome news today, with teachers' union EIS reaching a draft agreement with the Scottish Government that could halt planned strike action. The deal still needs approval from COSLA (the body representing Scotland's 32 local areas) at their meeting this morning, and we should know the outcome by the end of today. However, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said she's "optimistic that a negotiated outcome to this dispute […] is now within reach."

The strike threat emerged from a year-long dispute over teacher workloads, specifically the SNP's 2021 manifesto pledge to cut maximum class contact time by 90 minutes per week. EIS members voted overwhelmingly (85%) in favour of strike action, citing inadequate progress and arguing that many teachers are doing marking and preparation in the evenings and on weekends, effectively working for free.

Schools have been reviewing staffing arrangements and were due to contact parents yesterday to confirm whether individual schools, specific year groups, or entire buildings would close on the strike dates. With historically high participation rates in teacher strikes, Fife Council had warned families to expect "significant disruption" and was preparing remote learning options for affected pupils.

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WHAT’S ON IN FIFE?

Please remember to double-check details with venues before travelling, as events can occasionally be cancelled or rescheduled at short notice, and some will require prebooked tickets.

Friday, 13th March

Powódź/Flood - Bocian’s paintings explore the global climate crisis through local trauma and catastrophe.
📁 Art | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Laidlaw Music Centre, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

StAnza 26 - Packed schedule of events for Scotland's international poetry festival.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ Varies

Creative Craft Club For Adults - Come and enjoy a regular Friday morning of creativity.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Letham Village Hall | 🎟️ £15

Gaelic Conversation Group - Join this informal group of Gaelic learners for a relaxed morning working together on Gaelic Conversation.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 10:15am | 📍 Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther | 🎟️ Free

StAnza 26: Powódź/Flood - Join Natalia Bocian and StAnza Poet in Residence Nazaret Ranea who will read her poem produced in response to Bocian’s works.
📁 Art | 🕢 11am | 📍 Laidlaw Music Centre, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

Cheltenham Gold Cup Day - Showing all the day's racing live from Cheltenham.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 11:30am | 📍 Pratis Barns, Leven | 🎟️ £52.82

Hayley Matthews Art Paint & Sip: Meadow - Paint, sip, create! No experience necessary! All art materials and refreshments provided. BYOB! 
📁 Art | 🕢 6pm | 📍 St Peter’s Church, Kirkcaldy  | 🎟️ £35

Friday Night Slides - 1/10th scale Electric RWD Drift cars only, and must be running Buzz Break or DS Racing LF4 tyres.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 6:30pm | 📍 Parkgate Community Centre, Rosyth | 🎟️ £5+

Day Sleeper - Alternative rock band.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 PJ Molloys, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £13.20

Mark Nelson - Multi-award-winning Scottish stand-up Mark Nelson returns with his brand new tour show.
📁 Comedy | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £16.50

Snow White - Spectacular family‑friendly dance theatre production that reimagines the classic fairytale in a bold, modern way.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £16+

Three Men in a Boat - Hilarious retelling of this much-loved tale by three well-known local actors.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:15pm | 📍 St Andrews Bowling Club | 🎟️ £9+

The Journey - We’re bringing the best Rangers night out to Rothes Halls
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Rothes Halls, Glenrothes | 🎟️ £25

The City Sinners - Scottish Country/Americana band featuring top scene players, led by singer-songwriters John Hinshelwood and Louise McAtee.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Backstage at the Green, Kinross | 🎟️ £22

Saturday, 14th March

StAnza 26 - Packed schedule of events for Scotland's international poetry festival.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ Varies

Water and Wonder - Children will explore ideas, imagination, and the outdoors – on land and on the water.
📁 Children | 🕢 9am | 📍 Wormit Bay | 🎟️ Free

Fife College Food & Drink Festival - Cooking demonstrations, cookery workshops, tastings, stalls, cocktail bar, street food, music, and more.
📁 Food | 🕢 10am | 📍 Fife College, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

Hayley Matthews Art Paint & Sip: Meadow - Paint, sip, create! No experience necessary! All art materials and refreshments provided. BYOB! 
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 St Peter’s Church, Kirkcaldy  | 🎟️ £35

Artisan Market - Market showcasing the talents of local artisans, offering a wide variety of crafts, art, and specialty goods.
📁 Markets | 🕢 10am | 📍 St Andrews Town Hall | 🎟️ Free

March Market Weekend - An array of Scottish food and drink traders, live music and street food.
📁 Markets | 🕢 10am | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ Free

Lamb Bottle Feeding - Meet and bottle feed our baby lambs.
📁 Family | 🕢 10am, 1pm & 4pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £25.08

Weekend Ceramic Slipware Workshop - The class will be split over a weekend, making pots and playing with forms and incorporating a bit of throwing if desired but not necessary.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Forgan Arts Centre | 🎟️ £195

Fermenting in the Garden: Kimchi & Seasonal Garden Veg - Discover the art of fermentation in this practical, hands-on workshop set in the beautiful surroundings of Ravenscraig Walled Garden.
📁 Food | 🕢 10am | 📍 Ravenscraig Walled Garden | 🎟️ £35

Meeting Stinging Nettle - Learn more about how to identify it, it's traditional uses and how to prepare a herbal remedy with it.
📁 Food | 🕢 10am | 📍 The Wynd, Falkland | 🎟️ £33.22

Origami Lilies for Mother's Day! - A calm, welcoming and completely beginner-friendly mum & daughter origami workshop.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Abbot House, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £25

Creative Writing Workshop - Unleash your imagination & hone your writing skills, all experience levels welcome!
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Pitreavie Castle | 🎟️ £25

Pick-up a Fruit Tree in Hill of Beath - Pick up a tree to take away and plant at home in your garden.
📁 Garden | 🕢 10am | 📍 Hill of Beath Community Hub | 🎟️ Free

Postcards for Palestine - Use printmaking techniques and collage to make postcards to fundraise for Palestinian families in Gaza.
📁 Art | 🕢 11am | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

Needle Felting Workshop - Learn how to make felted cards and small decorations.
📁 Art | 🕢 11am | 📍 Off The Rails Arthouse, Ladybank | 🎟️ £20.21

Seaweed Cyanotypes & Nature Writing - Learn how to create your own seaweed cyanotypes using a photographic printing process first invented in 1842.
📁 Art | 🕢 12:30pm | 📍 St Andrews Botanic Garden | 🎟️ £45

Fluid Art for Mindfulness - Focus on the flow and movement of the paint and the interaction of the colours as the painting develops.
📁 Art | 🕢 1pm | 📍 Kirkcaldy Galleries | 🎟️ £30

Snow White - Spectacular family‑friendly dance theatre production that reimagines the classic fairytale in a bold, modern way.
📁 Stage | 🕢 1:30pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £16+

Decadance 30+ St Patrick's Day Special - DJs, performers, mirrorball dancers, glow sticks, Irish twist complimentary Prosecco.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 2pm | 📍 O'Connell's, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £10.15

An All New Championship Event - Featuring 1600cc Bangers Inter-Nations Championship, National Hot Rods, 400 Stock Cars, Ministox, and Stock Rods.
📁 Sport | 🕢 5pm | 📍 Lochgelly Raceway | 🎟️ £16

Stock Car, Banger, and Hot Rod Racing - The Racewall brings all the action from Saloon Stock Cars, BriSCA F2, ORCi Stock Rods & Micro F2.
📁 Sport | 🕢 6pm | 📍 Cowdenbeath Racewall | 🎟️ £18.50

Permacrisis Echoes of Departure - Single Release Show featuring special guests Killscythe, Feral Ghoul and Skeptic.
📁 Music | 🕢 6:30pm | 📍 McQ's @ Coadys, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £9.05

Dookie - Green Day tribute band.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 PJ Molloys, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £15.40

Spanish Tapas Night - Enjoy a relaxed evening of Spanish tapas, traditional flavours and good company.
📁 Food | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Canmore Golf Club | 🎟️ £35

Three Men in a Boat - Hilarious retelling of this much-loved tale by three well-known local actors.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:15pm | 📍 St Andrews Bowling Club | 🎟️ £9+

Queenz: Drag Me To the Disco 2026 - These fearless and fabulous Queenz are bringing their electrifying live vocal drag-stravaganza to the stage.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £19.50+

Westlife Royal Albert Hall (25th Anniversary) Screening - Westlife take centre stage at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall for a fun-filled night of nostalgia.
📁 Movie | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Crail Community Hall | 🎟️ £14

The Junkie Miracles - Raw, honest portrayal of addiction and recovery, based on the true stories of four recovering addicts.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £15+

Kings of Marigold - Beatles tribute band.
📁 Music | 🕢 8:30pm | 📍 Fire Station Creative, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £9.38

Forgan's St Andrews Ceilidh - Head to Forgan’s and experience one of our unforgettable ceilidhs.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 10:30pm | 📍 Forgan's St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

Sunday, 15th March

StAnza 26 - Packed schedule of events for Scotland's international poetry festival.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ Varies

March Market Weekend - An array of Scottish food and drink traders, live music and street food.
📁 Markets | 🕢 10am | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ Free

Lamb Bottle Feeding - Meet and bottle feed our baby lambs.
📁 Family | 🕢 10am, 1pm & 4pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £25.08

Dunfermline City Artisan Market - Monthly showcase of local talent, creativity, and craftsmanship!
📁 Markets | 🕢 11am | 📍 St Catherine's Wynd, Dunfermline | 🎟️ Free

Snowdrop Festival: Cambo Heritage Tour - Tour highlighting the significant heritage, the story of snowdrops and a walk through the winter garden.
📁 Tour | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £15

Cellardyke Harbour to Anstruther Walking Tour - Walk the town’s rich past, historic stories of the press gang and Nelson’s navy, fisherfolk’s lives, storms, shipwrecks and the gold rush.
📁 Tour | 🕢 2:30pm | 📍 Cellardyke Harbour | 🎟️ £11.55

Flamenco Experience - A close, expressive and vibrant flamenco experience.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 3pm | 📍 Crail Community Hall | 🎟️ £14

Siobhan Wilson - Award-nominated singer and composer in Glasgow.
📁 Music | 🕢 6pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £20.21

An Evening With Gregor Fisher - Join the Scottish stage and screen legend for an evening in conversation, as he shares stories and anecdotes from his life and career.
📁 Talk | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £27

Monday, 16th March

Lamb Bottle Feeding - Meet and bottle feed our baby lambs.
📁 Family | 🕢 10am & 1pm | 📍 Hillview Animal Park | 🎟️ £25.08

Kevin Heath: The Lost Ships Active & Scotia - Join Orkney based shipwreck hunter Kevin Heath as he dives into the gripping history of two remarkable vessels.
📁 Talk | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Kirkcaldy Old Kirk | 🎟️ £15

🎉 Multi-Day Events & Exhibitions

Scottish Snowdrop Festival 2026 - Visitors can enjoy our winter garden and specialist snowdrop collection, and the swathes of naturalised snowdrops in our woodland walk to the sea.
📅 Sun, 25th January - Sun, 15th March | 🕢 10am | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ Varies

Muir Walker Pride: 175 Years of Practice - Supported by historical drawings & instruments, this exhibition will chart the changing nature of architectural practice and its reflection of society over the years.
📅 Wed, 18th February - Sun, 15th March | 🕢 10:30am - 4pm (Wed - Mon) | 📍 St Andrews Bowling Club | 🎟️ £7.50

St Andrews Cocktail Week - 10 days of incredible cocktail experiences at the best venues across town!
📅 Fri, 20th - Sun, 29th March | 🕢 Varies | 📍 St Andrews | 🎟️ Varies

Lambing Experience - Meet our shepherd, see newborn lambs, and discover life on a working farm.
📅 Sat, 14th February - Tue, 31st March | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Ring Farm, Cupar | 🎟️ £13+

Bunker Shots: Stories of Golf and Conflict - Surprising connections between golf and conflict, including the impact on golfers and their equipment.
📅 Fri, 18th April - Tue, 31st March | 🕢 9:15am | 📍 The R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ £17.50

Kirkcaldy Boot & Mart - Indoor and outdoor market held every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.
📅 Sat, 10th January - Wed, 16th December | 🕢 9am (Wed, Sat, & Sun) | 📍 6 Michelson Drive, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

THANKS FOR READING

Thanks for reading Fife Insider today. If you found something useful, please share it with a friend in Fife.

Cheers,

Duncan