A VETERAN of Scotland’s pit closures has voiced hope for the future after Scottish ministers reinstated a lifeline to former coalfield communities.

The Scottish government yesterday pledged a £753,000 grant to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for its work across Scotland on volunteering and community projects and public health.

Scottish Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said that regeneration of Scotland’s former mining towns was “vital to help make them a better place for the people who live there, to help build better local economies and create employment opportunities.”