What we do Greenspaces and... Communities Lyne Burn Voices: Community Stories of Transformation I am Lyne Burn - and I've got my wiggle back For years, I ran hidden and contained beneath Dunfermline. Piped underground, labelled a 'heavily modified watercourse', overlooked. But that's changed. And the people who live alongside me have noticed. Lyne Burn Voices is a community storytelling and creative evaluation project led by greenspace scotland. It captures what an 11-year, £1.5 million transformation of the Lyne Burn corridor - from Touch Community Garden through Woodmill Park to Rex Park - has meant to the people who use it. What people told us Between August 2025 and April 2026, we gathered voices through a digital survey, video interviews, recorded workshop conversations and creative reflections. This is what people told us. Six themes came through clearly from the community stories we gathered. Nature returning 67% of survey respondents noticed more wildlife than before. The kingfisher became a symbol of the burn's recovery - spotted by some, heard about by many. People also described moorhens, goosanders, ducks, robins, butterflies and squirrels returning to spaces that were once barren and concrete-lined. Community connections From dog walkers building friendships along the corridor to volunteers growing a garden together, the spaces created connection. Touch Community Garden - deliberately built without a fence - became what volunteers call a 'bump space': somewhere people naturally encounter each other. Moving more People changed their daily routines. Walking to the shops via the park instead of the road. Cycling the corridor as a regular commute. Parents teaching children to ride bikes. One workshop participant recovering from surgery now walks three mornings a week - something he said he wouldn't have done before. Community conversations Making paper clooties Making cyanotype postcards Pride restored Touch and Abbeyview are areas of multiple deprivation. Most residents live in flats without gardens. The transformation of Touch Community Garden - from semi-derelict to what community council chair Peter calls "a wee gem in the heart of the community" - restored something that goes beyond greenspace. Honest about challenges Not everything is resolved. Bins, trees and benches have been set on fire. Shopping trolleys remain in the burn. Survey responses on littering and anti-social behaviour were mixed - 33% reported less, 24% reported more. These challenges are part of the story too, and the report sets out community-identified solutions. Mental health and wellbeing People described using these spaces to process grief, find daily joy on morning commutes, and maintain their mental health. Survey respondents used words like safe, welcoming and calm. The most powerful story came from Zac - read it below. Zac's story Zac was a teenager being bullied during exam time when he went for a walk and came across Touch Community Garden. He was welcomed in and started helping - planting, painting, running events for kids. The garden became somewhere he could go regularly to volunteer, build his skills and his friendships. "I've been going outside more, but it's like I've opened up a bit because I used to be so down. I'm in college doing things like horticulture, learning new things at college and learning things at the Garden. It's a win win for me." Eighteen months later, Zac is studying horticulture at Elmwood College in Fife. Watch Zac tell his story. Hear from the community Watch Peter, Chair of Touch and Garvoch Community Council Watch Libby, Carnegie Rotary volunteer The impact in figures In our survey where the rating of 5 meant extremely satisfied: 85% rated how well the greenspaces meet their needs at 4 or 5 out of 5 70% rated quality satisfaction at 4 or 5 out of 5 67% noticed more wildlife Read the full story The Lyne Burn Voices report covers all six themes in full, with community quotes, survey data, project background and recommendations for future greenspace investment. The re-naturalisation project was delivered by Fife Council and Fife Coast and Countryside Trust with funding from SEPA and Fife Council - see more info section below. Long Story Short - Executive Summary Longer Read - Project Report More info You can read more about the transformation of Lyne Burn in these case studies: https://www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/news/the-lyne-burn-project-green-blue-and-community-too https://www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/news/lyne-burn-river-restoration-improves-dunfermlines-water-resilience-and-community-pride This project was funded by the Forth2O Small Grants Commissioning Fund with additional funding from the UK government UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We worked with Fife based artist Katie Fowlie to develop and deliver the workshop. Touch Community Garden Directors supported the workshop and generously provided their time to introduce the garden and their volunteers. Thanks to all who shared their stories: Kevin O'Kane, Touch Community Garden volunteers, survey respondents and workshop participants. Thanks to the original project partners: Fife Council, Touch Community Garden, SEPA, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust and UrbanPioneers who shared information with us. Manage Cookie Preferences