Jim Matthew was an avid collector who amassed an amazing array of thousands of cameras and related memorabilia. At the heart of his collection were his most prized possessions – Kodak Brownies, which were the first (from 1900), and for a long time, the most popular mass market cameras in the world.

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He had almost every model ever made – hundreds of them. He also had other thematic collections, such as stereoscopic and 3D cameras and viewers, and East European models, including many that were rare in the West.

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He travelled the world with his work, and bought cameras wherever he went. It was a private collection, but was opened occasionally for public viewing, for example, during the St Monans Community Arts Festival.

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After his death, the collection was in danger of being broken up, but now the Jim Matthew Camera Collection Trust will keep it as a community and national asset. Fundraising is now beginning in earnest, with the aim of ensuring that the collection is maintained in St Monans, and open to the public on a regular basis.