First Minister compliments River Leven project on remarkable transformation

Publish Date: Friday September 27, 2024

We were delighted to be among the project partners who welcomed First Minister John Swinney to the Kirkland Dam in Methil, during Scotland’s Climate Week.

Mr Swinney met our CEO Jeremy Harris and Head of Development Ed Heather-Hayes, to learn about the Restoring the River Leven project.

Mr Swinney commented that it was “quite remarkable” to see the river’s transformation. Improvements are helping the river to function more naturally, all to the benefit of nature, people and biodiversity.

Later, at the Fife Renewables Innovation Centre, the First Minister met community groups from the wider Leven Programme which he described as ‘very inspiring’. Among them were FCCT’s Education Manager, Aidan Duncan, who, along with Annemarie Smith from NHS Fife health promotion team, briefed him on the Levenmouth Green Health Partnership. Essentially, this is about connecting people with the environment for the benefit of their health and wellbeing.

Natural environment

In his speech Mr Swinney picked them out, saying, “I am taken by the work of this natural health service. Like the NHS, it has a lot to contribute to our society too. All of us need to make sure we have a wonderful natural environment which is important for the benefit or our wellbeing.”

FCCT manages the Restoring the River Leven project on behalf of Fife Council in partnership with the SEPA Water Environment Fund. The First Minister chose to visit the project for the launch of the Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029 (SNAP3). This sets out a comprehensive suite of more than 200 actions and proposals for managing the current and future impacts of climate change in Scotland.

Carefully considered

Jeremy said: “This project to restore the River Leven is a working example of different organisations coming together to deliver something that directly contributes to the outcomes laid out in the new Scottish National Adaptation Plan. The carefully considered interventions already under way will return the river to its more natural flowing state ensuring that nature connects through the Leven catchment and delivers direct benefits to the local communities.

“Improved infrastructure with the river at its centre will serve the surrounding communities and enrich the lives of those who make use of it.

“At Fife Coast and Countryside Trust our mission is to connect environment and people. And this river restoration project, running through the heart of Levenmouth, is a wonderful example of how to do just that. I look forward to seeing the natural world and local communities flourish thanks to this work for years to come.”