Cupar is to feature in a forthcoming BBC Scotland series.
In the penultimate programme of the series of My Kind of Town, Ian Hamilton and Major, his guide dog, spend time in the former Fife county town, talking to locals and visiting businesses and community groups.
My Kind of Town: Cupar will air on the BBC Scotland channel on Thursday February 2 at 8pm.
Digital ambitions, golf and food…
A traditional market town, Cupar now has ambitions to be a digital town, and Ian finds out what this means with a visit to Simon Baldwin of the Cupar Now podcast.
Ian also gets the chance to practice his swing on the Kingarrock Hickory Golf course with golf experience manager Dave Allan.
He also samples some food at the farmers’ market and he gets creative in the kitchen at family bakers Fisher and Donaldson, making a Strawberry Danish.
The presenter gave a big “thumbs-up” for Cupar as a ‘foodie town’ and “the real buzz” of the market.
He said: “I have eaten really well in Cupar – I’m sure I’ve put on about two stone. If you are going to put on weight, I can think of worse places than Cupar.”
Swimming, singing and pampered pets…
Ian also meets up with Iain Smith, of the Cupar & District Model Railway Club, and takes a dip in the swimming pool with local Commonwealth hero Ollie Carter.
Major also gets to take time out for some pampering at the animal care department in the local Elmwood campus of SRUC.
Other visits in this episode include Cairnie Fruit Farm and maze, Cupar Youth Café and the Cupar Amateur Musical Society, where he chats to Ruth Anderson and other members of the group.
He also finds out about the town’s past with local historian Guthrie Hutton at the Mercat Cross and meets Michael Fyffe of Community in Cupar to hear how the community in the town has been helping Ukrainian refugee families.
Vibrancy of small towns
For this third run of the popular series, Ian and Major are visiting towns from Caithness to the Borders, getting to grips with local life and aspirations.
Ian added: “Two-thirds of us in Scotland live in small towns or near them.
“They are the towns that aren’t in the headlines that often and are not always tourist hotspots either, but they are the beating heart of the country in many ways.
“It has been really interesting over the course of the three series to go into these towns, many of which are facing challenges in this post-industrial age or through the drift to bigger cities, and find out how they are fighting back, how they are doing day-to-day, ploughing their own furrow and building on their already strong sense of community.”
When and where to watch
Earlier episodes have featured Girvan, Wick, Larkhall and Hawick, with Fort William completing the run. Already aired episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
My Kind of Town : Cupar airs on the BBC Scotland channel on Thursday February 2 at 8pm.
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