🧭 Firth of Forth’s Hidden Oyster Revival

Good morning, Fifers! On Tuesday, we asked what your favourite historic site in Fife is to visit, and the clear winner was Falkland Palace with 25.5% of the vote. Following not too far behind were Dunfermline Abbey and Palace, with 16.1% of the vote, and Aberdour Castle, with 15.4% of the vote.

Here’s what's coming your way today:

• Firth of Forth’s Hidden Oyster Revival

• Spitfire to Fly Over Fife

• 57 Events to See This Weekend

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

— Duncan

LOCAL HEADLINES YOU NEED TO KNOW

• 🚑 Plans are progressing to bring back a mental health response car service in Fife after a successful pilot reduced pressure on emergency services. The initiative, pairing a paramedic with a mental health nurse, led to fewer hospital visits and improved police capacity, with proposals now being developed to make the service permanent.

• 🌱 Beams from the old Argos Centre have been repurposed as raised planters for the new £15 million Templehall Community Hub. Pupils from Fair Isle Family Nurture Centre and local 16+ EasyP programme members helped plant flowers, shrubs, fruit, and vegetables, supporting biodiversity and pollinators.

• 🍽️ Burntisland will welcome a new Greek-inspired meze restaurant this summer, as Marguerite and Dario Mariani prepare to open Arina Meze Bar on the High Street.

• ⚓ A floating boom will be installed across the entrance of Charlestown Harbour to keep boats out as part of a community safety initiative. Planning permission was granted for fixings on the 18th-century category B listed harbour, marking the first step in reducing risks while preserving the historic structure.

• 🚌 Services will return to the upgraded Leven Bus Station from the 30th of March. Improvements include extended stances for electric buses, new seating, a high-performance concourse surface, and a bike shelter, with some finishing work on screens and shelters continuing.

• 🏥 William Edwards has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of NHS Fife. With over two decades of NHS experience, including leadership roles in eHealth, digital transformation, and operational management, he joins from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

• 🎓 The University of St Andrews has climbed global rankings in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject. Highlights include Classics 3rd in the UK, Philosophy 12th globally, and English rising to 40th globally, reflecting the university’s continued academic excellence.

• ✈️ A Spitfire will soar over Fife next month as part of the 90th anniversary of the plane’s first flight. The aircraft will fly north, from RAF Coningsby, flying over the Firth of Forth and then on to RAF Leuchars. A Phenom T1 jet plane will join the Spitfire after it passes the Forth Bridge.

• 💷 The UK government has pledged £9m to support new projects at the former Mossmorran ethylene plant in Fife.

TODAY’S TOP STORY

🦪 Firth of Forth’s Hidden Oyster Revival

After a century of absence, European flat oysters are thriving again in the Firth of Forth, with the Restoration Forth project celebrating a major milestone of 60,000 oysters reintroduced to the estuary, double their original target. The recent deployment of 14,080 oysters brings the ambitious conservation effort to new heights, with monitoring by Heriot-Watt University's dive team showing an impressive 88% survival rate for oysters released from boats.

Oyster beds once covered an area the size of modern-day Edinburgh in the Firth, with records showing nearly 30 million oysters being harvested annually, supporting an important industry for the area in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, overfishing and industrial pollution wiped them out completely by the early 1900s, leading to their local extinction.

Over the past four years, hundreds of volunteers have worked at locations including Burntisland Sands, spending countless hours restoring seagrass habitats and scrubbing and cleaning oysters under strict biosecurity rules before deployment. Dr Naomi Kennon from Heriot-Watt University described reaching the 60,000 milestone as “pretty emotional” after so much preparation.

The returning oysters aren’t just thriving, they’re doing vital environmental work, filtering water to improve clarity, storing carbon, and creating habitats for fish, crabs, sea snails, and sponges, helping to restore the Firth’s ecosystem for future generations.

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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, 27th March

Lambing Experience - Step into the magic of the lambing season and enjoy a personal, small group experience up close on our family farm.
📁 Family | 🕢 10am, 1pm & 4pm | 📍 Dalachy Farm, Burntisland | 🎟️ £65.71

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

Little Niblicks - Bring along your baby or toddler to enjoy the sights and sounds of the museum.
📁 Children | 🕢 11am | 📍 R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ Free

Paint and Sip: Historical Places - Capture a castle, replicate a ruin or make art from memories.
📁 Art | 🕢 5:30pm | 📍 R&A World Golf Museum, St Andrews | 🎟️ £20

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+

PJs Showcase - Presents Samsara / Bambitos / Buzzkill / The Borderline.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 PJ Molloys, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £10

A Friend for Brendon Ryan - Brendon recently came out as pansexual and created a blog that allows people in the same boat to talk to each other.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £10

Soul Station - Resident DJ Martin Duffy keeps us entertained, so bring your dancing shoes.
📁 Music | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Fire Station Creative, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £9.38

Footloose - A high-energy story of rebellion, heart and community.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:15pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £17+

The Sound of Scotland with The MacDonald Bros - Celebrating Scotland’s greatest songs and artists.
📁 Music | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £20+

Blackmore’s Blood - Music from the rock years of Deep Purple & Rainbow.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Backstage at the Green, Kinross | 🎟️ £28.60

Saturday, 28th March

Porcelain Jewellery: Storytelling in Clay - Reflective two-day workshop exploring storytelling through the delicate medium of porcelain.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Forgan Arts Centre | 🎟️ £152

Spring Herbal Remedies - Learn about herbs that we can forage in the spring to support our health and well being.
📁 Food | 🕢 10am | 📍 The Wynd, Falkland | 🎟️ £33.22

Spring Flower Wreath Making Workshop - Create your own gorgeous whimsy spring flower wreath.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Anderson Hall, Leslie | 🎟️ £50

Glenrothes Comic & Toy Fair - An action-packed family day out for kids and adults alike with free entry!
📁 Family | 🕢 10am | 📍 Kingdom Shopping Centre, Glenrothes | 🎟️ Free

Composition: What Goes Where & Why - Learn how to combine the elements of your drawing or painting for maximum effect, and engage your viewers.
📁 Art | 🕢 10am | 📍 Unit 52 Art Studio, Glenrothes | 🎟️ £40

Goat - A small goat with big dreams gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball.
📁 Movie | 🕢 11am | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £5

An ABBA Dream - Boozy brunch with live entertainment by a top class ABBA tribute act.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 12pm | 📍 Rosco's Bar, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £12.35+

Delft Tile Painting Masterclass - You will glaze and decorate four pre-fired tiles using traditional Delft techniques.
📁 Art | 🕢 12:30pm | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ £60.21

Easter Family Trail - Walk from the beach at Dysart to Ravenscraig park, followed by seasonal craft and an egg hunt at our community garden!
📁 Family | 🕢 1pm | 📍 Harbourmaster's Cafe, Dysart Harbour | 🎟️ £5

IBFA Mr & Mrs Scotland 2026 - Scotland’s biggest and most exciting bodybuilding events of the year.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 1pm | 📍 Lochgelly Centre | 🎟️ £5+

Music Festival Against Racism - A great weekend of music standing up to racism.
📁 Music | 🕢 1:30pm | 📍 The Monarch Bar, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £10.15

St Andrews Otter Ecology Walk - Join us for a short guided walk between East and West Sands, learning about otters, their ecology and the St Andrews coastline.
📁 Tour | 🕢 1:30pm | 📍 East Sands | 🎟️ £6.13

Footloose - A high-energy story of rebellion, heart and community.
📁 Stage | 🕢 2pm & 7:15pm | 📍 Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £17+

The Secret Agent - In 1977, a technology expert flees from a mysterious past and returns to his hometown of Recife in search of peace.
📁 Movie | 🕢 2pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £6.50+

Inverkeithing Community Big Band - What better way to spend an afternoon in March than by coming to hear your Fife community big band play some fabulous jazz?
📁 Music | 🕢 2pm | 📍 The Bay Hotel, Kinghorn | 🎟️ £10

Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station Visit - Come and get a behind the scenes look at Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 2pm | 📍 RNLI Anstruther Lifeboat Station | 🎟️ Free

Hand-Coiled Decorative Vase Workshop - You’ll be guided through traditional hand-coiling techniques, gradually building a decorative vase or pot.
📁 Art | 🕢 2:30pm | 📍 Bowhouse, St Monans | 🎟️ £60.21

Truth Daytime Clubbing - Daytime Clubbing is back and this one's going FULL BLOWN NEON!
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 4pm | 📍 Truth, Leven | 🎟️ £9.05

National Hot Rods WQR 9 - Featuring 1400 Stock Cars SP Utilities Series, National Hot Rods, ProStocks, CC Rods, and Ninja Karts.
📁 Sport | 🕢 5pm | 📍 Lochgelly Raceway | 🎟️ £16

Sir Peter and the Snowdrops - Warming mix of blues and folk-rock classics.
📁 Music | 🕢 6pm | 📍 Cambo Country House and Estate | 🎟️ £20.21

Charity Firewalk - Brave the heat and walk over hot embers, all whilst raising money for two important charities - Andy's Man Club & Tartan Talkers.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 6pm | 📍 Burntisland Sands Hotel | 🎟️ £27.80

Banger Madness - The Racewall brings all the action from Saloon Stock Cars, BriSCA F2, ORCi Ministox & National Bangers.
📁 Sport | 🕢 6pm | 📍 Cowdenbeath Racewall | 🎟️ £18.50

Mystic Nights Ghost Tours - Genuine atmosphere, strong storytelling, and the eerie feeling that you’re never quite alone.
📁 Tour | 🕢 6pm, 7:30pm & 9pm | 📍 Ravenscraig Castle | 🎟️ £13.70

Contrived Cabaret - Wonderful night of singing, dancing, music, aerial acts and burlesque.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7pm | 📍 King's Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £15.50

Wuthering Heights - A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors.
📁 Movie | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ £6.50+

Rossini’s La Cenerentola - An opera reimagining the timeless fairy tale Cinderella with vibrant musical charm and comedic brilliance.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Laidlaw Music Centre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £32

Supper Club: Spanish Night in the Glasshouse - An evening celebrating the bold, sun-drenched flavours of Spain, curated by the talented Sheila McKiver.
📁 Food | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Teasses Estate | 🎟️ £55

James VI and Esme Stuart d'Aubigny (1579 - 1583): The Formative Years - Join us for an exploration of one of the most formative and controversial relationships of James VI's early reign.
📁 Talk | 🕢 7pm | 📍 Falkland Palace | 🎟️ £9.50

Scottish Roots 40th Anniversary Programme - Experience the thrill of bodies in motion and the pulse of music that bridges tradition and innovation.
📁 Stage | 🕢 7:30pm | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £13+

The Iotas - Cover band from Dunfermline covering everything from Bowie, to The Black Keys.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Fire Station Creative, Dunfermline | 🎟️ Free

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, 29th March

Rosyth Community Market - Fabulous selection of stalls selling a huge variety of food, crafts and more!
📁 Markets | 🕢 10:30am | 📍 Parkgate Community Centre, Rosyth | 🎟️ Free

TEDx University of St Andrews 2026 - Questioning how the phrase ‘Mind Over Matter’ can reframe how we see the world around us.
📁 Talk | 🕢 11am | 📍 Byre Theatre, St Andrews | 🎟️ £14+

Glenrothes RetroVerse Retro Gaming & Card Market - We will bring along some amazing traders with vintage consoles, new/retro gaming, sports cards, Pokemon and more.
📁 Markets | 🕢 11am | 📍 Kingdom Shopping Centre, Glenrothes | 🎟️ Free

Falkland Estate Monthly Market - Enjoy browsing the monthly Makers Market held in our beautiful and unique spaces here at the Stables.
📁 Markets | 🕢 12pm | 📍 The Stables, Falkland Estate | 🎟️ Free

Music Festival Against Racism - A great weekend of music standing up to racism.
📁 Music | 🕢 1:30pm | 📍 The Monarch Bar, Dunfermline | 🎟️ £10.15

Curator's Tour: 12 North Street - Guided tour focusing on the history of one of the oldest domestic homes in St Andrews.
📁 Tour | 🕢 2pm | 📍 St Andrews Heritage Museum | 🎟️ £7.50

Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station Visit - Come and get a behind the scenes look at Anstruther RNLI Lifeboat Station.
📁 Entertainment | 🕢 2pm | 📍 RNLI Anstruther Lifeboat Station | 🎟️ Free

Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory - One of the world's foremost practitioners of Country Blues.
📁 Music | 🕢 8pm | 📍 Backstage at the Green, Kinross | 🎟️ £26.40

Monday, 30th March

Coul Den River Restoration Project - Hear more about Fife Coast & Countryside Trust's work at Coul Den with a talk about the back burn river restoration project.
📁 Talk | 🕢 12:30pm | 📍 Glen Housing Association, Glenrothes | 🎟️ Free

Cooking Korma - Join your local community for this free activity as part of the resident-led Every One Every Day Spring calendar of activities.
📁 Food | 🕢 4:30pm | 📍 Greener Kirkcaldy | 🎟️ Free

Multi-Day Events & Exhibitions

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+

Unearthed - Step back in time to where it all began in our latest family-friendly exhibition.
📅 Sat, 21st March - Sun, 6th September | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries | 🎟️ Free

Dear Earth - An exhibition exploring how artists are responding to the increased fragility of the world around us.
📅 Sat, 21st March - Sun, 13th September | 🕢 Varies | 📍 Kirkcaldy Galleries | 🎟️ Free

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