Town Twinning Flekkefjord
By Jill Potrykus
The group in Norway
As it reaches its 60th anniversary, Burntisland's town twinning has lasted a long time. Started in 1946, it involves a group of young people spending around 8-14 days in either Burntisland or Flekkefjord, situated in Norway.
What interests youngsters is that they can visit another culture and another part of Europe. Visiting Norway also allows them to socialise with others their own age from another country.
In Scotland the group tend to visit the main attractions, particularly Edinburgh where they can visit the castle. They can also participate in 'Ghost Tours' where stories are told of Old Edinburgh and the strange goings-on. This allows the Norwegians to see a slice of life in Edinburgh and its amazing culture. In addition, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a popular attraction which the group visits almost every year. For thrills the youngsters can go to M&D's a theme park situated in Glasgow which has several roller coasters - not for the faint hearted!
The Group in Burntisland
Norway, on the other hand seems more tranquil and peaceful. Here the group tend to go fishing and swimming. Rachael Burrell enjoyed seeing parts of their culture such as the salmon festival and liked the fishing part of the trip the best. Flekkefjord is in the region of Vest-agder, an area similar to Fife. The town is slightly bigger than Burntisland in terms of population size and is quite hilly - another similarity to Burntisland. It also covers twice the area of Burntisland corresponding to its population size.
Unfortunately, due to lack of interest from young people, the town twinning is not being held this year. So come on all you young people out there: if you want to experience another country and culture and have a great deal of fun, then get in touch with the town twinning committee or the Burgh Buzz.
The group in Norway
Scots Verse Competition
Now in its 20 th year, the Community Council's Scots Verse competition is a popular event with local pupils.
In 1286, King Alexander III died after falling from his horse between Burntisland and Kinghorn. He had been renowned for bringing peace and prosperity to Scotland. The competition marks the 700 th anniversary of his death and encourages young people to follow his example by becoming confident in language and debate.
This year, four excellent recitations were delivered by the winners at a special reception in the Burgh Chambers. The winners were:
Special congratulations were due to Taylor Ferguson and James Lyon, each of whom had also won in an earlier year and were now collecting their second trophies.
As well as the trophies, the winners each received a copy of "Bloody Scotland" - an entertaining and informative review of key events in Scottish history.