Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019

Designed by Muthill Primary School, Muthill

Muthill In Bloom 2019

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Introduction To Muthill In Bloom

Muthill in Bloom was formed in 1993 by a small group of enthusiastic volunteers with Lily Crawford and Margaret Melville at its helm, and now, more than a quarter of a century later, their vision continues to thrive. The aim of the group to “improve the appearance of the village” has helped create an environmentally friendly place to stay and visit… a desirable place to live and work.

The group has progressed from back garden displays to the creation of eye catching floral displays, never afraid to try something different or use a “crazy” colour scheme. Throughout the summer months village displays are a lot of colour all maintained and watered by a very dedicated team, ensuring everything is in tip top condition . Support for this work is essential and fortunately we work with 27 other partners in and around the village allowing us to do what we do. Fundraising events throughout the year include coffee mornings, bingo tea, plant sales and Christmas post delivery service.

Teaching a younger generation has now become a priority and helping our local primary school is very important. Last year we planted a “young ones” orchard with the help of every child in the village school and nursery and we look forward to watching this project progress and grow. This year we hope to support the school in their bid to win a 6th green eco flag. Now a colourful fixture on the tourist route, visitors are always given a warm welcome to the village with one com- menting recently that he “couldn't believe that there was something different around every corner!”

Our Successes include;

Year Award 2006 Winner of New Entrant’s Trophy 2014 Gold Medal Winner—Take A Pride In Perthshire

2006 & Overall Winner - Take A Pride In Perthshire Silver Gilt Medal Winner—Beautiful Scotland 2007 2015 Silver Gilt Medal Winner— Small Village Category 2008 Winner of Continuous Community Involvement—Silver Gilt Britain In Bloom and Gold Medal Winner— Take A Exempted from TAPiP Pride In Perthshire

2009 Runner Up—Best Village ( All categories ) 2016 Gold medal—Take a pride in Perthshire and Best Winner of Small Village Trophy small village

Winner of Gold Medal—Small Village Category Silver Gilt Medal—Beautiful Scotland 2010 Exempted from Beautiful Scotland

Winner of Silver Medal—Small Village Category—Britain In Bloom 2017 Silver Gilt Medal—Beautiful Scotland 2011 Winner of Gold Medal—Best Small Village Silver Gilt Medal—Take a Pride in Perthshire Runners Up—Beautiful Scotland—Community Involvement Award

Winner of Gold Medal —Take A Pride In Perthshire—Small Village

Best In Community Involvement Award 2012 Winner of Silver Gilt, Small Village Category, Britain In Bloom

Exempted from Beautiful Scotland and Take A Pride In Perthshire 2013 Winners of Gold Medal—Best Small Village—Beautiful Scotland

Best Community Involvement—Perth and Kinross

Winners of Gold and Best Small Village in Take A Pride In Perth- shire

And their new home with an alternative use for straw bales Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Horticultural Achievements Muthill In Bloom

We are justly very proud of our horticultural achievements which includes

May 2018 June 2018

 Planted Trees on area that is open to all. Started to plant up having had no rain for 5 weeks everything had

to be soaked first

 Looking to make an arch to walk through Although not in competition this year, work has been continued

Leyland Hedge being removed Planting Trees Off to Pentland Plants 5000 Plugs in Tunnel

 November 2019

 Clearing of all furniture and tulips in for spring

 January 2019

 Plants ordered, here we go again!

 March 2019

 Poly tunnel opened up for the first time this year

 April 2019

 Contractor in to spray tunnel for Thistles and Marestail. Jeyes Fluid to disinfect

 Annual Trip to Pentland Plants, the Black Friday sale of Plant Sales. We grow plugs on for plant sale at our coffee morning in May Planting Up  Tunnel starting to fill up with plants, to fleece or to not fleece is the question?

 May 2019

 There is approximately 5000 plugs in the tunnel now

 Spoke to gardeners at Gleneagles Hotel, regarding Solheim Cup Bed, they would like to be involved with us in memory of Lain ( a dear Colleague of theirs who lived in Muthill and sadly passed earlier this year)

 Mam Sending mini digger up to remove shrubs in bed that will become our Solheim Cup display Composters !

 West End Cart refurbished—herbaceous at back of cart sponsored by Benny beg Plant Centre, annuals to front Muthill in Bloom

 Bloom back into schools to help set up poly tunnel for another year

 Grant approved for new skin on poly tunnel, hopefully this will be completed over the warm summer months Flower Bed  Weeding and tidying up starts in earnest. Not enough hours in a day during Jeyes Fluid May/June

 Crieff Rotary in touch to say Muthill next in line for 8,000 crocus bulbs as part of their campaign to eradicate polio, that’s an Autumn job. Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Horticultural Achievements Muthill In Bloom

Pupils Weeding Weeding Pupils

P1,2s Planting Sunflowers P1,2s Planting

Planting Floral Display Display Floral Planting

 June 2019

 P5,6,7 Weeding all around school

 P1,2 took charge of sunflower planting

 Renewed floral display at side of telephone box

 Midsummer Eve and everything put out today and bowser fitted onto buggy

 Midsummer day and spring bulb catalogue dropped through the door

 Bought a new apple tree to replace one we've lost

Horticultural Activity In Muthill continues throughout the year—from the planting up of narcissi and tulips in the Autumn months for the following Spring, Winter maintenance and equipment cleaning, repairs etc to Spring growing on and potting up.

This year we have created a new herbaceous bed whilst also overhauling the existing bed at the Millennium Garden. The va- garies of our weather have again provided challenges with a colder Spring and a later Summer season. However, undeterred. we have soldiered on and have achieved many things, including the final refurbishment of the cart, with a local Dairy farm theme.

We have also created a drainpipe display by using plastic drainpipe in Station Road. With the second visit of Scotland’s largest musical festival “ Tea In The Park “ this July, we have entered in to the spirit of Festival season with the school children planting up Wellington boots to mark the occasion.

We have also planted up 12 cheerful red planter pots engaged the community, young and old in a multitude of projects and events.

Walking Canes along the Street Our Polytunnel Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Environmental Responsibility Muthill In Bloom

From This From This …….. To This …..

 June 2018

 MiB made up Bumble Bee quiz for Gala Week, Bees hung around the village to encourage families to walk and find

 With help from PKC and Muthill and Tullibardine community council we set out to look for funding for adult gym equipment for coronation park.

 P&K skip permits arrived—keeping John & Donald happy boys

 Temps reaching 33 Degrees its been fantastic but hard work planting up this year

 July 2018

 No Rain since we planted orchids 5 weeks ago

 Large Tree limb down in cemetery—called P&K—fixed

 Funding bid for adult gym equipment successful

 Buggy Problems, oh no!.... In this heat, thank to MAM our main sponsor the watering continues

 August 2018

 P&K bin lorry had serious fuel leak causing car to slip off road at corner and end up in one of our cherry trees. Edith the head gardener at Drummond Castle came down to check over , repair resin and a hessi- an sack will hopefully be the answer

 October 2018

 Muthill past & present open day in hall. Baked and helped. Great to see so many old faces back in the village for the day 100+ in people in the hall

 Halloween time again, another fantastic day up at Drummond castle. Bloom team get time to enjoy this one, we help set up in woodland walk, many of our old scarecrows transformed into witches

 February 2019

 War memorial needing major work around it, passed to PKC

No Rain Prep For Gym For Equipment Weeks

Cherry Tree after Car

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Environmental Responsibility Muthill In Bloom

Gifted Chairs \picking LitterP3,4s

 March 2019

 Pkc pruned and cleaned boat bed in park and mulched all around it, Bloom Group brown bin stickers around … Community Bins

 April 2019

 Called P&K (26/4) re wall at entrance to Coronation Park

 May 2019

 Big Day finally here—Bases laid for adult gym equipment in Coronation Park—Very Exciting

 Quiet week at poly tunnel so time to re vamp some chairs we had been gifted

 June 2019

 M in B donated approx. 1000lbs of recycled compost

 P3,4 Litter picking in pouring rain

 Muthill scouts planting trees down Muthill to Crieff Cycle path

 Continual round of making baskets up, tending street furniture continues, skip runs etc

 Asked PKC for overhanging tree branches to be taken down before hanging baskets go out. Job Done

 Got a surprise call from villager working abroad to say he had bought us a vintage tattie picker to cele- brate our village history and would gift it to Bloom after renovation

 Had a meeting with PKC regarding the shrubbery in the old churchyard. They have promised a complete make over hopefully by the end of the summer.

Compost Removing Hanging Branches

Gym Equipment

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Community Participation Muthill In Bloom

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 May 2018

 Mini Orchid Planted with help from Drummond Estate

 All children from primary school and pre-school took part and they can now grow up with trees.

 Gifted a batch of litter pickers to our friends at Blair in Bloom

 June 2018

 Big day out at Scone palace for a garden party. Donald and I took our founding members Lily and Margaret and they loved it.

 We had a surprise party for Donald's 60th at the poly tunnel—Storm Hector hit this morning so set up in the hall—Night off for everyone

 Another successful Scarecrow week—M in B promote and Muthill Gala put up the prize money.

 July 2018

 We were gifted a full whiskey barrel from Glenturret, Crieff to replace an old one on display at telephone box

 August 2018

 Jarvie’s family, local contractors sent hedge cutters out today to0 cut all our hedges within village. It’s the finishing touch to all our hard work, village looks fab when done which is price- less to us

 Welcomed visitors from Alyth in Bloom down for coffee and a chat

 September 2018

 PKC fitted Bollards down grass verge on Willoughby St. We asked for them for safety reasons.

 We got to pick the colour to match our containers

 Been in touch with Vicky Wrigley in North Carolina . A Muthill Lass now teaching in USA has a fantastic class project shes working on and needing help with. Using flat Stanley books the character ‘Stanley ‘is super imposed onto pictures from all around the world and returned to her class—great idea, delighted to be involved.

 October 2018

 Grant application submitted to PKC for CIF fund for buggy, bowser trailer and now skin for poly tun- nel

 Invite to unveiling of Crieff in Leafs new ‘Hairy Coos’ statue

 Brig in Bloom asking advice for their forthcoming Britain in Bloom bid

 December 2018

 Christmas post delivery service, Post boxes out, another fun fundraiser.

 Arrangements made for village Xmas Tree, community council members will erect Muthill PS Gardening

 January 2019

 Met up with Auchterarder in Bloom for coffee and a look at their exciting plans for project on their High Street

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Community Participation Muthill In Bloom

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 March 2019

 Email received from PKC to say work on war memorial has been assessed and will be undertaken in the new financial year

 April 2019

 Volunteers up at Drummond castle ‘Easter Egg Hunt’ to help with Tees

 Welcomed Katherine to our team

 Posters made up and out for Sunflower Camp, Most unusual planter and Scarecrow Camp, Coffee morning

 May 2019

 Flyers delivered for Coffee Morning, door to door

 Coffee morning and plant sale, our main money earner of year, £1000 raised

 M in B made up a ‘Walking family Treasure Hunt’ for Gala Week

 New After-School club will be responsible for bug garden and hotel in the Millennium Garden

 4 Compost Bins emptied of ‘Home Made’ compost now used to fill larger street planters

 Monday club will transform their prize winning scarecrow into a Lady golfer for Solheim Cup bed

 Applied from grant from PKC to allow us top bring some Crazy golf equip out to Gala Day and bring a bit of Solheim Cup Fever to village

 Village now owns phone box, going to become home to defibrillator, so have asked Muthill & Tullibardine Community Council to Purchase paint for it

 Who needs to pay for £107 Chelsea ticket when you can walk Muthill for free

 June 2019

 Tidy up day at primary school. P5,6,7 weeding all around school and planting with pupil grown annuals

 Due to staff changes and shortages the primary ‘eco-flag’ history has lapsed at the moment they have 5 flags—spoken to KSB and have agreed to restart work towards 6th flag from August 2019

 Every pupil took a sunflower home for competition

 Buggy needed new steering column— £500—Ouch

 Strathearn Young Farmers drafter in once again this time to help clear scrub in the school playing field. PTA wanting to sow wildflowers on banking and create a seating area with a built in Bug Hotel.

Clearing School Field

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019 Community Participation Muthill In Bloom

The funding and support given to Muthill In Bloom is Community wide—donations of cash, plants, seating, wood and time is considerable. Fund raising activities include Coffee mornings, whist drives, plant sales and quiz nights. We have worked with a number of Community groups, including;

 Strathearn Young Farmers

 Muthill Primary School

 Brig in Bloom

 Gardeners from Gleneagles

 Alyth in Bloom

Pupils Planting, Litter Picking Taking Care of the Working as a Team Plants

35 scarecrows made this \year

Community Joining together

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019

PRESS CUTTINGS

A selection of cuttings from our local Press

Prepared by Muthill In Bloom for Beautiful Scotland 2019

FUTURE PLANS

 Renovation work at war memorial. (P&K)

 Restoration of dyke at Coronation Park. (P&K)

 Installation of extra bollard on Willoughby Street. (P&K)

 Work to clear old Kirkyard of rogue shrubbery, trees, etc and tidying of yew trees. (P&K)

 Siting of tattie picker for display (M.I.B)

 Building of a new Thomas the Tank sit on planter for children. (M.I.B)

 Revamp of Giants project in Highlandmans Park. (M.I.B)

 Restart work on Primary's Eco flag No.6. (M.I.B)

 Join our neighbors Ardoch in Bloom for a bulb plant at Braco cemetery in memory of Barbara Scott. (M.I.B)

 Plant 8000 Crocus Bulbs. (M.I.B)

 Refurb of large picnic table from Highlandmans Park by P&K Community Payback. (P&K)

 Installation of park bench around tree in Highlandmans park. (P&K)

 Add new planting to rear of war memorial when redone. (M.I.B)