A conversation with Roger McStravick - golf historian, writer and all-round golfing guru.

We met with Roger in the Swilcan Loft at the Old Course Hotel - looking out across the Old Course in St Andrews, the very home of golf.

Our chat covers Roger's earliest days in the game at Lurgan Golf Club in Northern Ireland where he aspired to play professionally, through his time at University and his ambition to become a course designer ... through the next stages where he 'discovered' writing, the passion of his career. He has published his 10th book this year on the extraordinary life of the St Andrean golfer, Allan Robertson.

You can find more on Roger, his books and his other projects - including talks and his support for commemorative initiatives in St Andrews - via his website on this link.

Please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested. Thank you.

A conversation with local developer, Andrew Craig, whose company - Stone Acre - plans to breathe new life into the derelict Watts site.

The property - built as the town's jail in the early 1800s - has had several incarnations. The name 'Watts' - taken from the seed merchant who made this site his own - remained when it became a pub with the adjoining Jordan's nightclub. Andrew makes reference to times he spent at the venue earlier in his life!

The former pub and club closed to the public shortly before Covid struck - almost six years ago. Since 2019, the property has fallen into a desperate state of disrepair.

We caught up with Andrew for a walk through conversation - to explore the site and discover more about him, his work and plans that, if successful, will transform what has become a sad eyesore on the road through Cupar.

You can read more on the plans via our Blog on this link. And you can find more on Stone Acre via this link.

David Scott is well known in golfing circles - not just at home but far beyond the boundaries of north-east Fife.

The St Andean and British PGA Captain was recently appointed as Honorary Professional of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, a prestigious role held by only five others in its history. 

We were delighted when David agreed to be our first interviewee of our newly rebranded podcast - WhoWhereWhatWhenWhyAndHowNow 

We caught up with David at Dumbarnie Links to chat about golf, life, his career including the transformative work of the charity, Caddie School for Soldiers, as well as radiators! 

Born and raised in St Andrews, we take a journey through his earliest days on the course with his school pals through his first role at Blairgowrie, then onto Letham Grange and Balbirnie Park Golf Club before he landed the role of Director of Golf at Kingsbarns.

We cover his time at the five red star Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa - including his time in housekeeping!

And then his move to Dumbarnie in 2020 where he is General Manager of the award-winning links. 

Oh. And did I mention … I’m a magician with a putter? 😉

Show notes ...

Find more on Dumbarnie Links via their website - https://www.dumbarnielinks.com/

If you’re heading there, the address is Dumbarnie Links, Upper Largo, Fife, KY8 6JQ.

You can call them on 01334 845945 or email [email protected]

Until the next time. Turn the radiators up!

There are more than 400 businesses in Cupar delivering all manner of goods and services.

In our latest podcast, we catch up with Rick Bond and Jeff Lockhart, the founders of St Andrews Management Centre on St Catherine Street.

They've just celebrated the company's first decade and we wanted to hear them tell their story - and why Cupar is the perfect place for businesses to base themselves.

In our preamble, we heard tales of Kalashnikov rifles and Russian border guards. We will have to make that another episode for another time!

You can read more and find contact information for their company via a recent Blog profile we published on this link.

A story to tell?

If you run a company in and around Cupar and you'd like to tell your story on a future podcast episode, get in touch via this email link and we will get back to you and arrange 'next steps'.

For more than 200 years, an annual Show has been held in Fife to encourage and showcase the breeding of livestock. Today, The Fife Show - held

We caught up with show President, James Smith, whilst he was preparing the ground for this year's show. We grabbed a few minutes: he and the show's army of volunteers were super-busy ... you may hear his phone buzzing in the background as traders, exhibitors and more were trying to get in touch!

Last year's was a record show: it retains the feel of a traditional agricultural event, but has extended into the realms of wider environmental and countryside-related issues with the introduction of a Game Fair area. Main ring entertainment, as well as the Food & Drink sections including a cookery theatre, alongside more than 150 trade stands and amusements for the children ensure that the Show provides a great day out for the whole family.

It is busy and there can be queues for traffic: please follow all the signs and be patient with the volunteer stewards on the day.

Click here for the show's website and this link to buy your tickets in advance and beat the queues at the gate!

Hoggs of Fife ... or Fife Country? We hear folk speaking of both. We wanted to know what connects the two and, to that end, arranged to meet with Hoggs of Fife's Managing Director, Robert Gibson, at their HQ on the Eden Business Park to discover more.

We have also published a Blog referenced in the podcast and delves a little deeper into the company's history and heritage. You can read this by clicking on this link. The Blog profile also includes all the relevant links you'll need to find more - on both company's - with website and social media feeds provided.

Much has been written, published and broadcast on the negative impact that lockdowns have had on well-being - especially on the young and the not so young. Although lockdowns and their restrictions may seem a distant memory for many, we know from discussions with businesses and organisations across Cupar that people are aware of 'lost' customers ... those who remain fearful of returning to 'normal'.

YMCA-YWCA Cupar on Bonnygate has organised and is hosting a Cupar Wellbeing Coffee Morning & Roadshow on Tuesday 15th November from 10am until noon. 

To help spread the word, we caught up with Norma at Cupar Y to find out more ... about the event as well as their work with others, including the Cupar Youth Cafe. 

Come the 15th, there will be information stalls and free refreshments. Most importantly, there will be a warm welcome, friendly faces and listening ears. There’s also a free goodie bag to take home too!

Please share with anyone who might be interested - especially with any family and friends who are caring for those who would benefit from being a part of this event. Thank you. 

Our latest podcast is somewhat different: our recording coincided with the BBC's visit to Cupar for their filming of the upcoming 'My Kind of Town'. We'd met with presenter, Ian Hamilton, to discuss CuparNow. One of the reasons they'd chosen Cupar was because we are Scotland's only 'digital improvement district'. He asked how we might be able to show the digital work being delivered within their filming schedule. Ian is blind, so we suggested a sensorial experience, joining us at Luvians Bottle Shop so he might be able to taste some of their famous ice cream ... still made to the family's secret recipe in Cupar. He didn't need persuading! 

And so we met with Emili and Christopher - cousins in the business and respective children of two of the shop's founders. 

Please excuse some of the sound quality: we wanted to film in situ and so the section with Ian is recorded by the ice cream freezer cabinet. You'll hear the hums as well as the 'mmmmms' ... and we had to cut and splice some of the content to reflect their filming, and Ian's enjoyment of the ice cream! 

Ian's time in town will also capture part of Cupar's Celebration & Commemoration Weekend (16-18 September 2022) that sees a whole host of events and activities created by a collaboration of more than 30 community groups. Initially billed as a celebration of Cupar and its community, the organisers added commemorative elements to mark the death of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and to create a focus for the town and district to come together as this time. 

We have published this today to help launch the weekend: a focus on food and drink - highlighting the Food & Drink Trails launched earlier this year, seven in total that start and end in the town. One is on Cupar alone - showcasing the 40+ food & drink businesses in the town. 

After Ian left, we continued the conversation with Emili and Christopher ... 

We hope you enjoy it. 

Bell Baxter High School has around 1,300 pupils and, every year, a number of them progress into the working world. There are many that help in that process - from teachers and mentors to families and friends. This podcast is with two people who are helping to bridge the gap for youngsters who are looking for opportunities beyond school. 

Amanda Liddell and Forbes Walker both help to deliver support through the DYW programme - Developing the Young Workforce. Amanda is based at Fife Chamber as 'DYW Fife' and Forbes is the dedicated DYW and employability coordinator at Bell Baxter. 

We chat about the challenges youngsters face when looking for that all-important first step of experience - and look at how businesses and community groups in and around Cupar can become part of the support network to deliver help: work experience, volunteering opportunities, internships, training programmes, part and full time jobs and more. 

And the main reason for this podcast? To flag an upcoming event hosted by CuparNow that will invite businesses and organisations from across Cupar and the town's catchment to a Business Breakfast on Thursday 25th August (0730-0930) to be held at Castlehill Community Centre. 

We'll share more as we countdown on our Blog and social media channels including an EventBrite link to ask folk to register. 

Sunday 5th June 2022 saw people from across Cupar and beyond gather to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Picnic In The Park. 

At the bandstand, all manner of events, activities and performances entertained hundreds of folk who enjoyed what was a great community gathering. And those present heard a reading of an historic proclamation that had been first heard in the town 470 years earlier - almost to the day. 

The medieval proclamation was read by Guthrie Hutton of Cupar Museum & Heritage Centre. We couldn't record it on the day so caught up with Guthrie at the museum soon after and he was kind enough to introduce the piece - and then read it for us to capture for Cupar's Year of Stories 2022. 

This podcast features as part of Cupar's celebration of Old Scots and the role the town played in the history of the language - captured in a series of ongoing talks and lectures delivered by a wide range of expert speakers under the umbrella of Cupar's Development Trust and Three Estates Cupar ... all helping to recognise the life, times and works of Sir David Lyndsay, aka Scotland's Shakespeare!