An extinct volcano flared into action again as it provided the stunning setting for the lighting of one of the Queen’s diamond jubilee beacons on Monday evening.
East Lomond, nestled behind Falkland Palace, was designated one of the Scottish sites joining thousands of others across the UK including Dundee Law where beacons were lit to celebrate the landmark occasion.
The site was deemed truly ”fit for a Queen” as the landscape has historically been a home and hunting ground of the Stuart kings and queens and holds many royal connections.
Invited guests were also treated to the spectacle of three large fire sculptures, in the forms of a volcano, a miner’s lamp and a leaf.
These symbols were chosen by the local community as representative of what the Lomond Hills means to the native population.
The images were created by local artist Jan Hendry and turned into fire sculptures by Iron Oxide, a company that specialises in producing daring outdoor shows.
The beacon on the hill illumination was also the first public event since the Living Lomonds Landscape Partnership (LLLP) received a stage one pass towards a major Heritage Lottery Fund restoration project around the hills, with a potential value of £1.8 million.
The evening provided an opportunity for the LLLP to inform people about its evolving plans for a range of projects to reconnect locals with the landscape of the Lomond and Benarty Hills.
Provost Jim Leishman said: ”Fife Council is delighted to support this important milestone in the life of our monarch, playing our part in a national, indeed Commonwealth, network of beacons.
”Fife schools and communities have over the last few days been celebrating this popular event in many ways but what better conclusion than to display this beacon on a strategic high point in the Lomond Hills within the Kingdom of Fife.”