A musical celebrating the school belt is being produced in Fife.
At the height of its popularity, 70% of the Tawse were made in the small mining town of Lochgelly. Margaret Dick’s grandfather was an apprentice to the original manufacturer of the Lochgelly Tawse, Robert Philp.
She said: "Robert Philp made something that the teachers really liked and it took off. His son and daughter were both teachers so that’s where the incentive came from.
"It’s an interesting thing that came out of Lochgelly and it’s never really been promoted properly before so it’s really quite nice. It’s a shame Dad’s not around to see it. I think he would love it."
Using the belt in the classroom was ruled out in 1982 after a group of parents, including a mother whose child went to Beath High School in Cowdenbeath, went to the European Court of Human Rights.
An arts group from the town are now turning the history and their memories of the belt into a musical.
The play is part of ON at Fife, a project to get more people involved in the arts.
Banned the Belt: How the Lochgelly Tawse Changed the World will be performed at the Lochgelly Centre at the end of November.
