Anstruther Improvements Association, Pennant 653

The AIA’s vision is to support a thriving and resilient community, helping to improve Anstruther for all. In working to achieve this, much of our activity is about connecting. We connect people with each other and with our community, to make our community more resilient and sustainable.

We have chosen the coastline at Castle Street Beach, which is the location of our home, Dreel Halls, a community hub named after the Dreel Burn. The Dreel Burn is our local river which runs alongside the halls, meeting the sea at Castle Street Beach. The burn is also the location of our popular annual community duck race and the focus of our environmental restoration project, the Dreel Burn catchment initiative, and marks the division between Easter and Wester Anstruther. Dreel Halls, therefore, is also a point of topographical connection; connecting the river, the land and the sea, as well as Easter and Wester Anstruther.

The beautiful coastline where we are located is much loved and enjoyed by residents and visitors to Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife. Located on the coastal path, Dreel Halls is passed daily by walkers, who pause to admire the building and take in the stained glass panels and read the stone information slabs outside our front door. However, unease about the state of our beaches and coastline is high - pollution, the loss of biodiversity and the impact of storms and flooding are all of great concern to our community. We hope this project will remind people of the beauty that lies on their doorstep, help them to reconnect to their natural environment and focus their attention on how we can create and maintain the resilience, security and vitality of that environment.

We promise to support and encourage local people to take action to improve their environment. We will provide opportunities for direct voluntary action, like litter picks and community science initiatives. We will continue to engage with local people and raise awareness of the issues caused by climate change and how to mitigate them.