Cupar Development Trust 19th January

Wed, Jan 19th 2022 at 12:50 pm - 2:00 pm

"What? So What? Now What? questions answered by Chair of the Trust, Bill Pagan.

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In introducing the guest speaker, President Colin Mitchell described Bill Pagan as a “man of action” when it came to supporting the local community. As chair of Cupar Development Trust (CDT), Mr Pagan gave members a fascinating insight into the rich history of the town, and the origin and work of the CDT. He explained that Cupar took its Pictish name from the place where two rivers once met, rivers that are now little more than drains. Bronze Age remains have been found in the area, and in Mediaeval times it was a Royal Burgh which boasted its own port.

Cupar has lost some of its former importance in recent years, with the closure, for instance, of the sugar beet factory, the Hawklaw listening station and the Sheriff Court. Bill Pagan is one of a number of residents who are trying to compensate for these losses by promoting and developing the many assets the town still has. As a consequence of the small towns’ initiative of 2014, the CDT was formed the following year. The Trust has seven board members and its aim is to provide a focus for community development, citizenship, the arts, heritage and culture. Recent events have included the publication of a Cupar Heritage Trail booklet (jointly with Cupar Heritage), the promotion of a gathering of local societies and co-ordinating a highly successful Celebration Weekend in 2021, which featured extracts, in Scots, from the famous ‘Satire of the Three Estates’, written by local man Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount in the sixteenth century.

Mr Pagan concluded his talk by mentioning two initiatives for this year. One would offer an understanding into the vagaries of planning matters. The other would focus on developing and promoting citizenship, in partnership with local schools. In tracing his own links with Cupar back to 1952, Dennis Hopper gave the vote of thanks for a wonderfully interesting talk.