Silverburn Park and The Flax Mill is major community-led initiative for wellbeing, enterprise and employment, benefiting the people of Levenmouth and beyond.

A joint project between Fife Employment Access Trust (FEAT) and Fife Council with support from Fife Historic Buildings Trust (FBHT), the project will sensitively renovate the currently derelict B-listed former Flax Mill building, creating a Visitor Centre and Community Hub.

Fundraising is underway to raise the remaining £2,500,000 required and working with greenspace scotland and MyParkScotland a crowdfund campaign was launched at the end of September to coincide with first delivery of flax. 

Visit the crowdfund page 

Silverburn Park

There has already been a range of activities and developments at Silverburn Park with the Silverburn Campsite and FEAT’s Cottage Window Café (with its kitchen garden Growing Project) delivers training, employment and volunteering opportunities for local people, as well as a modest income - to ultimately support the wider work of the charity. The Flax Mill Project is critical to the continuation and growth of FEAT’s life-changing work, at Silverburn and beyond.

Maximising Silverburn’s exceptional natural environment, FEAT hosts a dynamic programme of education, wellbeing and community activities, and has even established 27 thriving community allotments here. FEAT is an active partner with the Fife Rural Skills Partnership for training young people at Silverburn. The charity’s “Oan Yer Bike” project offers free cycle hire to encourage an active lifestyle. Silverburn is also Fife’s first dedicated Gaelic Friendly Park.

Fife Coast and Countryside Trust Ranger - FEAT having recently established Silverburn as a popular “Welcome Port” along the adjacent Fife Coastal Path.

First Flax crop in 100 years

The flagship Flax Mill project is intended to create a unique community space, that works for the community, and that the whole community can be truly proud of with a planned opening date for the Flax Mill is March 2025. Plans include a café and restaurant, a shop, backpackers’ hostel with ensuite rooms, arts and craft studios, public toilets with fully accessible Changing Space facilities, as well as spaces for meetings, events and learning. Interactive displays that tell the story of the Flax Mill, flax processing, and how the mill fitted into the wider flax industry across Fife (in its heyday over 200 local people were employed here).

The arrival of the first flax in 102 years coincides with the re-opening of the Silverburn Campsite, which reopened for bookings on 18 September 

Silverburn Park Chairman Brian Robertson said:

“We are thrilled to receive the flax just in time for the opening of our brand new Silverburn Park Campsite and to start tentatively moving towards our lantern event, which we hope will bring people together to celebrate the park and a move into easier times for all"

The Flax Mill Project itself aims to allow Fifers to explore and be proud of their shared industrial heritage of linen making as well as giving a boost to the Levenmouth community by bringing in jobs, tourism and a hub for people to use and enjoy.

Fundraising to reach the goal

The total cost for the whole project is currently £8,045,800. The cost of the Development Phase is £558,500, which has all been secured from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Fife Council, the Architectural Heritage Fund, the William Grant Foundation, and FEAT. The total cost of the Delivery Phase is £7.5M. Some £3M is anticipated from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with significant additional contributions from Fife Council, Historic Environment Scotland and others.

Fundraising is underway to raise the remaining £2,500,000 required, to support this and working with greenspace scotland and MyParkScotland a crowdfund campaign was launched at the end of September to coincide with first delivery of flax. 

Visit the crowdfund page