End of an era for Fife support group

After more than six decades of providing assistance to pensioners in the area, the Markinch Old Folks Treat Committee has this week finally called it a day.
The group, formed in 1948, has worked tirelessly throughout that time to raise funds in a variety of innovative ways to put on activities and events for local people in later life such as Christmas dinners for up to 200 people, but due largely to a lack of interest from "younger" older people in picking up the baton, it has been forced to close its doors.
The committee's demise was marked at a small handover ceremony in which all of its remaining funds, totalling almost £2400, were handed over to Age Scotland Regional Development Officer Douglas Macnaughtan to put to good use for the benefit of Markinch's older people.
Long-standing committee member Mrs Ella Welsh (pictured left) said: "We have tried very hard to keep this going, but we can no longer get enough people involved to take it forward, so sadly and inevitably, closure is the only option for us.
"The committee used to consist of ten members but has of late struggled to attract half that number and with everyone getting older, we just cannot carry on organising the events such as dances and coffee mornings that bring in the funds so that we can give our pensioners a well-deserved treat from time to time."
Age Scotland Development Officer Douglas Macnaughtan said: "Although this is a sad day in many ways, we are pleased that we have been entrusted with the committee's remaining funds and pledge to put them to good use for local older people."
Local Councillor John Beare praised the committee and expressed thanks on behalf of generations of Markinch residents for the tireless efforts of the volunteers and the amount of pleasure these had brought to thousands of local pensioners over the past 64 years.
Photo courtesy of the Glenrothes Gazette  
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