Your charity for Scotland’s environment
It’s Your Neighbourhood
Souvenir Brochure 2019
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 1 Keep Scotland Beautiful
2019 achievements
It’s Your Neighbourhood, a flagship programme of Keep Scotland Beautiful, is a community environmental improvement initiative managed in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) under the Britain in Bloom campaign.
It’s Your Neighbourhood is designed to attract volunteer-led community groups which are cleaning and beautifying their neighbourhoods, whether through community allotments, after school wildlife clubs, school eco-groups, friends of park groups, or adopting pieces of derelict land. Keep Scotland Beautiful supports and encourages participating groups from across Scotland, and rewards them through a series of certificates to acknowledge the good work being done on behalf of their communities.
It’s Your Neighbourhood runs alongside the Beautiful Scotland initiative but is non-competitive and is based on the three pillars of community participation, environmental responsibility and gardening achievement.
Many It’s Your Neighbourhood groups now work with Beautiful Scotland groups to add value to enhancement initiatives in villages, towns and cities all over Scotland.
There are five levels of achievement to encourage groups to progress. These are:
Establishing Improving Advancing Thriving Outstanding
Cover image: Allotment Angels of Includeme2 club, Glasgow
2 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org National Cleanliness Benchmarking Report: 2017 – 2018
Certificates of Distinction
We are delighted to award 45 of this year’s It’s Your Neighbourhood groups with a 2019 Certificate of Distinction. The certificates recognise groups which have consistently grown and improved over the years of taking part in the campaign. To be eligible for a Certificate of Distinction, a group must have participated in the campaign for at least four years and achieved the ‘Outstanding’ level in the current year, or moved up at least two levels since first entering.
Aberdeen City Dundee City Highland Airyhall School Bonnie Dundee Raasay Walled Garden Cummings Park Community Friends of the Barnhill Rock Flat Community Garden Garden Inverclyde Fittie Community Development Ninewells Community Garden Trust Wellington Allotment Gardens Queen Street Community Association Friends of Duthie Park Garden Friends of Seaton Park The Maxwell Centre North Ayrshire Friends of Victoria & Westburn Parks Organic Growers of Fairlie East Lothian Garthdee Field Allotments Glebe Greenspace Project Association North Lanarkshire The Ridge Nether Loirston Growers Friends of Centenary & West Association End Parks Recovery Garden Group Falkirk Getting Better Together Ltd Slopefield Allotment Community Green Initiative Glenboig Development Trust Association (CGI) Greenhead Moss Conservation Group Aberdeenshire Fife Hope Community Garden Kincardine O’Neil in Bloom Blooming Dairsie Watch US Grow CLEAR Buckhaven & Methil Argyll and Bute East March Street, Kirkcaldy, Renfrewshire Community Gardens & Innellan Primary School’s Grow in Glenburn Hungry Diggers Allotments Hayfield Growing South Lanarkshire City of Edinburgh Kinghorn Harbour Residents and Environmental Group Forth Eco Site Friends of Starbank Park Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Trust Friends of Holmhills Wood Lochend Community Growing Community Park Project Muchty in Bloom
Stirling Clackmannanshire Glasgow City Greener Cambusbarron Sauchie Community Group Urban Roots Woodside Community Garden
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 3 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Entrants and achievements
Aberdeen City
Cummings Park Community Flat Community Garden Outstanding
The Community Flat gardens offer stimulation and education to local people and a safe place for children to play. People of all ages are encouraged to take part to plan, plant, grow and reap the benefits. Litter picking is now an annual activity, as is a community walk-about.
Airyhall School Denburn Court Tenants and Outstanding Residents Association The school is committed to being eco-friendly and Thriving has an Eco Group, with pupils from each class, Denburn Court is a multi-storey building, housing which meets regularly to discuss ideas. As well as 120 people. The group has strong community maintaining outdoor areas, a community garden backing from all the residents who get involved in and plot at Slopefield Allotments, this year the a number of ways such as gardening, bird feeding, group chose three main goals to work towards – DIY jobs and just enjoying the garden from their sustainability, litter and saving power. window. The growing area has herbs and vegetables and a biodiversity area. Berry Park Establishing Fittie Community Development A community growing space and garden to Trust encourage and enhance the area with school Outstanding involvement. The trust’s gardening volunteers look after the many flower tubs in Footdee. The main task for 2019 was preparing and planting up the
Castlewood Gardens community garden. Other planned activities Advancing included a plant sale fundraiser, a summer garden The group in Castlewood Gardens works together party, local beach clean-up events and further to make a colourful garden. The sheltered housing spring bulb planting. complex is made up of 144 flats between two skyscrapers. Some of the tenants have dementia and other disabilities, so the group tries to make the garden as nice as possible.
4 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Friends of Duthie Park Friends of Sunnybank Park Outstanding Advancing
The group is a support organisation for the Duthie The park is used by many, from dog walkers, food Park in Aberdeen. Its objectives are to preserve growers, children, walkers and artists, and the the heritage of the park and to encourage its use space caters for all with paths and areas left for by the general public. wildlife.
Friends of Johnston Gardens Friends of Victoria & Westburn Outstanding Parks Outstanding Johnston Gardens have existed for many years and provide a unique garden space, enjoyed by all An active group which works towards the ages. The group undertakes various maintenance improvement of these two greenspaces in the activities in co-operation with the council. Rosemount area. Over the past year the group has Activities include painting fences and the public had almost 1,400 hours of input from volunteers, toilet, clearing autumn leaves, pruning roses, bulb made up mainly of the Saturday morning planting sessions and raising funds for a new gardening sessions, maintenance work and alpine garden. tidying up.
Friends of Walker Dam Advancing
The dam historically served the ‘bleaching fields’ of the city’s textile area. The group’s aim is to promote enjoyment of the Walker Dam and burn, to preserve the area from development and to promote the wildlife which includes waterfowl, foxes and deer.
Garthdee Field Allotments Association Outstanding
In the group’s own words, “Garthdee Field is a wonderful, friendly, green space. We plotters see it as our wee place in the country.” The group are Friends of Seaton Park enthusiastic gardeners and like sharing ideas Outstanding about gardening better and greener. They want to share their enthusiasm and site with the wider Friends of Seaton Park works in partnership with community. They are proud of Garthdee Field and the council to ensure the park is a rewarding their plots and enjoy showing visitors around. space for everyone to visit. Noticeboards have been installed and are regularly updated to inform the wider community of events and, in the summer, surplus local allotment produce is gathered and sold on to the general public from the allotment market stall.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 5 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Lord Hay’s Court Gardeners Advancing
Flower beds and planters have been complemented with a sheltered seating area, sensory planting and all is wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly.
Middlefield Corners Establishing
The group is making green corners of the streets more colourful by planting flowers, fruit and vegetables, making trees colourful with craft bombing and encouraging the community to get Gwen’s Community Garden involved. Advancing A small community garden project that promotes biodiversity and different methods of gardening within the local community.
Hazlehead – Community Group Thriving
The school has five values which reflect the school ethos and it aims to embed these further by creating a ‘Values Garden’. The pupils have worked on a design using the values and have designed and painted a friendship bench to share them. A wooded area is used as an outdoor classroom, with imaginative projects such as making Harry Potter wands from elder. Nether Loirston Growers
Kittybrewster Nursery Association Advancing Outstanding The 31 growing spaces were set up in 2011 after a A group of nursery children, parents, staff and successful Climate Challenge Fund bid. The friends working together to improve the outdoor Allotmenteers come from the local community, space for lots of play and learning opportunities! reducing their food carbon footprint. The group The group has added a wildflower area to advertises itself in the Cove Chronicle and on previously unused ground and continues its great Facebook. The group grows mainly soft fruit and work on fighting litter by supporting the Clean Up vegetables and gets involved in the local gala with Aberdeen campaign. a table selling plants.
6 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Oldmachar Academy Parent Council Improving
The Parent Council works with staff and pupils to transform the large internal quad area into an attractive, social space and somewhere teachers can take classes for outdoor learning.
Skene Square School – Green Fingers Advancing
The gardening group meets weekly to maintain the school garden and has held fundraisers to work on the development of the playground. The school aims to create a sensory garden to benefit the school and local community, and to add a bit of colour to the playground. Recovery Garden Group Outstanding Slopefield Allotment Association The group consists of people either in recovery Outstanding from substance misuse themselves, or friends and family members. It meets weekly at the Grove The association manages the day to day running Nurseries, using a council polytunnel, and the of the site and provides a social focus point for main aim is to provide therapeutic support to help plotholders. The association is also involved with a regain confidence and learn a trade so they can local primary school, which has a plot on site, and return to work. runs class activities during term time. It is also involved with the allotment market stall which provides locally allotment grown fruit and Seaton Linksfield Community vegetables to Aberdeen. Network Establishing
The group is based in an area of mainly council Springhill Community Garden housing and tower blocks, four of which are Establishing sheltered housing. It was set up to improve the The group is transforming an unused bowling neighbourhood and now has a constitution and green into a community garden which will be officers in place, consulting widely with the available for the whole community to use, community to find out what they’d like to see including those in the local schools and sheltered develop. housing.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 7 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Aberdeenshire
Brighter Bervie Outstanding
Brighter Bervie’s volunteers develop and maintain green community spaces and features around the burgh for residents and visitors to enjoy. People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to get involved, from pre-school nursery tots to members of the daycare group. The route round the group’s garden sites has been made into a health walk and edibles trail.
The Friends of Westfield Park Thriving
The group is passionate about improving and enhancing the largest formal park in the Bridge of Don area. Activities have included a community picnic, a yarn bombing session where the public were encouraged to donate knitted items, an armistice centenary celebration, creating bug hotels, and carrying out litter picks and bulb planting with the help of local children.
Tullos Community Wildlife Garden and Growing Space Thriving
The project has been developed with local Torry residents, through a participatory budgeting Kincardine O’Neil in Bloom process. Ideas were gathered and drawn into a Outstanding plan for a community garden, replacing a previously overgrown, unused and inaccessible A focal activity for the group is the planting of space. A new public access path has been created numerous flower tubs throughout the village, with so the garden is accessible for all, planters have plants provided by the council. This year it added a been installed as well as a wildlife mural, benches, spring display of daffodils to brighten the early a vertical growing wall and well-established trees. months of the year. Other activities include an annual litter pick, tree planting schemes and a dog fouling campaign.
8 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Forfar in Flower Angus Thriving This ‘wee’ group of volunteers is dedicated to Brechin in Bloom – Brechin improving the local environment. Hanging Community Garden baskets, planters and daffodils brighten up the Thriving town, with lupins adding a splash of colour along the A90. The group has tidied and landscaped The community garden was created out of unsightly roundabouts and has sponsors to cover scrubland and has been funded by various maintenance costs. organisations. There is a wide variety of vegetables growing along with flowers and fruit. Members take the fruit and vegetables they wish, with Keptie Friends surplus produce placed in a box for local residents. Outstanding
The group continues to thrive, working with the community to enhance Keptie Pond. A dragonfly project and a wildflower meadow are other main areas of work for the group. Funds have been raised to provide a natural source of water to improve the water quality in the pond – this is now in progress with the borehole completed.
East Haven Together Outstanding
Residents in East Haven take great pride in their coastal community and are committed to the protection and conservation of the natural environment. They have established beautiful community gardens and provide a warm welcome to visitors on National Cycle Route 1. Kirrie Connections Outstanding
Kirrie Connections is a community dementia support project. It runs the Rosefield Community Garden, a space where people with dementia and their family carers can safely enjoy all the benefits gardening can bring.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 9 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Argyll & Bute
Blairmore Village Trust – Blairmore Gardens Outstanding
Blairmore Gardens is community owned land that has been transformed into a community garden for all to use. A number of features have been created to appeal to all ages. Children and families enjoy the gardens and others relax at the many features for picnics and tranquility, taking in the spectacular views overlooking Loch Long.
Cowal Keep Scotland Beautiful Network Strachur Memorial Hall Thriving Thriving Route 489 is a key bus service operating The group has cleared the area round the hall, throughout a 30 mile stretch of the Cowal improved the access, leveled slabs and laid gravel. peninsula. It joins together local communities and Raised beds have been built and colourful displays is regarded as an important life-line within the planted. A selection of planters and containers rural landscape. The project uses the route and brighten the area with a variety of donated shrubs service to help promote the three pillars of It’s and annuals. At the allotment area much progress Your Neighbourhood with a high level of creativity. has been made in a short time and the raised beds are productive and well maintained.
Shore Sweepers Outstanding Toward Sailing Club (SCIO) The volunteers carry out beach cleaning, clearing Thriving of overgrown spaces and also help at the local The club holds an annual beach clean for all ages primary school and old people’s home. Benches and a free open day. It involves all ages in work have been renovated and they have helped parties and projects at the club. The children are develop a sensory garden. encouraged to learn about and respect the environment and how they can help to improve things, for example in reducing single use plastics. Innellan Primary School’s Hungry Diggers Outstanding
The Hungry Diggers grow vegetables for cooking delicious snacks and have a pollinating area to encourage beneficial insects. The children learn how best to grow food and also enjoy cooking and sampling the results of their labours!
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City of Edinburgh
Centipede Project Advancing
The project started in 2012, with a vision to bring the community of North Edinburgh together through engaging, creative events. It has created a temporary garden space, growing projects, play areas, and environmental art installations and is developing a more permanent edible and wildlife garden with local children and adults.
Craigentinny Community Friends of Main Street, Balerno Gardening Project Outstanding Establishing This small group of volunteer gardeners is committed to improving the planted areas, The group is establishing a community garden on containers and hanging baskets. They maintain derelict land and has sowed native wildflower and update a variety of colourful, insect-friendly seeds around the primary school with the help of sustainable planting, including fruit, herbs and children and parents. flowers appropriate to each season.
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Friends of Morningside Cemetery Garden Advancing Thriving The group has been planting wild flowers, bulbs A community led restoration of a once neglected, and shrubs to create a pleasant green space in a late medieval walled garden in the most highly built up urban suburb. Their objectives for unexpected of places. Nestled amongst the the cemetery are to conserve and, where remnants of past industrialisation on Granton’s necessary, restore, to increase biodiversity and to waterfront, this two-acre green oasis is once again make the history of the cemetery and those being cherished and looked after. buried there more widely known.
Friends of Saughton Park Thriving
The group’s role is to support and promote the garden with work taken forward through five sub-groups: history, orchard, wildlife, physic and SPLAT (Saughton Park Litter Attack Team).
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 11 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Inspiring Hillside Advancing
A diverse team of local volunteers working together to help restore and develop the gardens to appeal to people of all ages and abilities – to local residents, walkers, joggers, visitors and tourists.
Lochend Community Growing Project Outstanding
A charity set up to promote the creation of growing spaces in the local area. Lochend Secret Friends of Starbank Park Garden was the first derelict area to be Outstanding transformed into a thriving community garden, with over 60 raised beds, a large polytunnel, shed The group hosts events throughout the year and a surrounding forest garden. Each year, free which bring the neighbourhood together. These workshops and socials are held for members and include an annual Easter Egg Hunt, with over 500 anyone else who wishes to join in. children attending, cherry blossom picnics and a Bubble Festival – fun for all! The group meets twice a week and an informal nursery group has evolved on Wednesdays, with parents bringing Newhaven Heritage Community their tots to the park to help out. Gardens Thriving
There have been a number of plots created in Friends of Wardie Playing Fields Newhaven for the local community to enjoy a Improving moment of contemplation, as well as areas for growing vegetables and fruit in conjunction with The group aims to preserve Wardie Playing Fields the local school children. The project has as an open green space for present and future enhanced the area and brought pockets of generations to enjoy, and to protect and enhance happiness. the area’s environment, including its biodiversity.
The Lions’ Gate Inch View Community Gardeners Advancing Thriving An urban sustainability project at Napier The care home residents enjoy growing fruit and University’s Merchiston campus. The group is vegetables, with the garden also providing a developing two derelict on-campus spaces into colourful and wildlife friendly space. The garden social places where students, staff and the local includes raised beds, a polytunnel and a community can grow fruit, vegetables and herbs, greenhouse, with an adjacent water butt, as well relax in natural settings, research ways in which as flower beds with paved walkways. we can live and work more sustainably and tackle climate change.
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Clackmannanshire Dundee City
Sauchie Community Group Ardler Community Garden Outstanding Outstanding
The gardening group took on the task of The group works with pre-school children, brightening up the main street by planting voluntary organisations, and families and strategically placed half barrels and containers. individuals in the community. It offers raised beds, The group also took on a piece of ground adjacent free seeds and tools and advice on growing and to the Resource Centre, creating a lovely new healthy eating. garden.
Bonnie Dundee Outstanding Dumfries & The group plants and maintains 68 planters, two garden areas, an urban orchard, two ‘help yourself’ Galloway herb patches, a children’s garden and wildflower areas. It has excellent relationships and support from the council, universities, the college, shops and businesses.
Broughty Ferry in Bloom Outstanding
The group plants up containers throughout The Ferry for both winter and summer to give all year interest and attract pollinators. It sends out at least two newsletters a year, has a plant stall at events, organises a Secret Garden Trail and helps run an annual garden competition.
Dundee Miley Group Thriving SWRAGG The Miley is well used by the locals. The group Outstanding litter picks the walk using a weekly rota and takes The group is part of ScotRail’s Adopt a Station nursery children from Law Nursery on regular scheme, bringing life to dead spaces by providing walks to teach them about wildlife. The group colour, cheer and character to railway stations and provides dog poo bags and also uses the Miley just all members of the community who use them. The for their own enjoyment. group also provides a safe home, food source and habitats for wilder commuters – mainly birds, bees and butterflies.
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Friends of Balgay HMS Unicorn Thriving Advancing
The group was formed to promote and protect the HMS Unicorn has a small garden of planters beautiful open green spaces and wooded areas. designed with sensory, seasonal, edible and The group’s current project, with help of local wildlife zones. These are being developed further funding, is the upgrade of the historic pavilion/ with various community groups, to deliver a bandstand with new plants, paint and seating. The welcoming and engaging space. group also holds litter picks to keep the park as litter free as possible.
Friends of Baxter Park Thriving
The group has three main types of work: working in partnership with Dundee City Council and others to improve facilities available; regular monthly volunteer gardening events to maintain and improve biodiversity; and running events throughout the year.
Friends of the Barnhill Rock Garden Outstanding
The group welcomes new members to the Ninewells Community Garden gardening team, talks and summer visits, and Outstanding various activities are provided for schools and The garden lies in the beautiful woodland of nurseries. Recycling and composting of garden Ninewells Hospital. The group’s mission is to waste, nesting boxes, red squirrel feeders and a promote physical activity and wellbeing through ’bug hotel ’show the group’s desire to aid community gardening. The garden includes conservation. wheelchair accessible paths, herbaceous borders, vegetable, sensory and physic gardens, a small orchard with wildflowers, picnic area, wildlife Green Growers habitat, garden room, polytunnel and children’s Thriving play area.
Throughout the years, the group has worked with the neighbours – the ‘Nature Nutters’ – and the Queen Street Community Garden local nursery – ‘Great Beginnings’ – to turn a Outstanding derelict piece of land into a thriving, colourful garden, full of wildlife and flowers for everyone to Managed by pupils at Grove Academy and local enjoy. adult volunteers, the garden continues to bring colour and life into an urban landscape. This year, the group launched its new wildflower app, helping people learn more about the plants growing at the site.
14 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
St Francis Primary School – The The Attic Community Garden Patch Thriving Outstanding The garden provides vegetables, fruit and flowers Through developing its community allotment, the for community use, increases the biodiversity of school has built strong partnerships with parents the area and provides a safe, attractive, sensory and the community, developing knowledge and garden space for young and old to enjoy. The skills for life in all aspects of nutrition and food. It project helps build community spirit and reduces focuses on encouraging families to taste and the isolation many people in the area experience. sample products grown during events such as the Big Soup event and bingo or film nights which bring the community together.
St Mary’s Primary School Thriving
The Tattie Patch was just a rough, weedy space in a severely deprived part of Dundee. The children wanted to grow some vegetables, so the classes took turns digging it over, put in a path and planted it up. The garden has a variety of vegetables and fruit growing which the children harvest, take to school or give to parents to provide healthy food for the children.
The Maxwell Centre Outstanding
The centre prides itself on community led gardening with no barriers to participation. Its garden is very well attended by local school groups and nurseries and, during school holidays, it runs a garden club. The centre offers therapeutic gardening and runs a number of successful cooking programmes utilising fresh produce.
Uppertunity Tay View Community Garden Thriving Thriving A social enterprise working with adults with The group aims to be as organic as possible, additional needs, learning disabilities and autism, growing food, growing the garden and growing providing skill development, confidence building themselves! The garden benefits many different and social inclusion activities. The group focuses people such as local school pupils, people with on an individual’s strengths and aspirations, and learning and sensory disabilities and people in then works with them to realise their potential. recovery. The portacabin is the meeting hub of the garden, where solar panels keep the kettle going!
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Whitfield Community Garden Advancing East
The group has developed areas to grow Dunbartonshire vegetables and soft fruit, built raised beds and has included family activity days where children and parents have planted bulbs and flower seeds. Clober Primary School Outstanding
The Eco-Committee works very closely with the Whorterbank Community Garden local community, gardening committee, pupils Outstanding and parents to support eco activities within the school and outside in the local community. The garden was created from a unloved area, with Activities include litter picking and designing a wide range of people now using it including features for Milngavie in Bloom. pre-school children, parents and grandparents. The range of vegetables, nuts and fruit being produced over the year is a credit to the group. Friends of Bishopbriggs Park Advancing
This group was formed in direct response to the Blue Planet programme. Amid several massive East Ayrshire wooden carvings and a natural habitat, the group maintains several key corners of this urban park. Together with litter picking they have planted Branching Out Community splashes of colour from donated plants. Initiative Improving Lennoxtown Project Group The group is instilling a sense of community pride Thriving and wellness by having regular clean ups within the northwest area of Kilmarnock. It has also taken Many of the successful community initiatives in over the lease to create another community Lennoxtown derive from the guiding hand of this garden. group. These include Campsie Corner, with its children’s playhouse, and the construction of a stone wall with its sustainable planting. Netherthird Community Development Group Outstanding Milngavie in Bloom Allander Road Neighbourhood Group The group tends the garden, makes hanging Thriving baskets and planters, bakes delicious cakes for open days, and helps at Easter and Summer A small group of residents, with the help of schemes. On average, 80 children attend the Milngavie in Bloom, has started to reclaim garden three days a week. People from neglected common areas of the estate and surrounding houses are volunteer watchmen started to restore an Italian Garden. It is hoped the when the garden is closed. project will involve local residents and result in a community asset which can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
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East Lothian
Belhaven Hospital Community Garden Outstanding
The group grows food organically throughout the year. A polytunnel, sensory garden, raised beds, orchard, beehives, soft fruit and cut flowers are all on site. Local groups hold activities within the garden including Cubs, Beavers, an after-school club, primary school and dementia carers. The hospital patients and visitors use the garden for health and relaxation. Glorious Gullane Bloomers Improving
Climate Friendly Aberlady The group supplies planters, tubs, hanging Advancing baskets, new and improved seating areas and a
The aim of the group is to establish and manage a sensory garden to enhance the village and give volunteer community fruit and vegetable garden pleasure to both locals and visitors alike. to encourage hands-on sustainable living. There is a rota for watering and the local shop sells surplus produce. Produce is contributed to a monthly Ormiston Blooms Together community lunch. Improving
A new community group endeavouring to improve the village. A local company has agreed Glebe Greenspace Project to develop an area of land at the entrance to the Outstanding village which will be planted up by the group.
Run by local volunteers, with the occasional help Facebook and Twitter pages have been and support from local farmers, the church and established and the group is seeking sponsorship the countryside rangers. The project is bound for new planters from local businesses. together by a shared vision: a passion for working outside together, for sharing knowledge about gardening, plants, wild life, for learning from one The Ridge another and for practicing the traditional skill of Outstanding scything. The Ridge has a number of projects, all aimed at supporting local people to move from dependency to contribution. It’s Backlands project
Growing Matters offers employability and practical skills training Thriving including gardening, cooking, masonry and The charity supports individuals seeking to joinery, and people can access crisis support to strengthen their physical and mental health help overcome specific barriers. through the practice of gardening in a tranquil rural setting and encourages volunteers to develop their social, communication and craft skills.
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Intergenerational Working: all ages working together
In 2019, we chose to link in with the growing popularity of intergenerational projects, working with the charity Generations Working Together and using this as the theme for groups taking part in Beautiful Scotland and It’s Your Neighbourhood.
Intergenerational working is something that connects two groups of ages (normally younger and older people together, at least 20 years apart) in a mutually purposeful way and as a result has benefits for both the participants and for the community. The projects are normally grassroots and can take place in any community setting. Most of the projects have volunteer involvement in some way, but the key is that they can be adapted to a community or group.
Here are a few examples of what some of our It’s Your Neighbourhood groups did to celebrate the theme.
Friends of the Calder Babcock International and South Lanarkshire Council supported Friends of the Calder to create a community orchard in Blantyre. People of all ages from across the community gathered on several work days to plant fruit trees and bushes, scatter wildflower seeds, plant saplings, weed and dig.
TACT Healthy Park – learning from a legend! Regardless of age, if you visit the TACT Healthy Park and meet ‘Oor Mary’, she’ll help you learn more about growing. Young and old alike get given jobs and get stuck in! TACT Healthy Park volunteers have a long history of working with schools. This last year has seen them working with Kear Campus, a school for children with additional support needs. Mary has touched the heart of one of the young girls, who affectionately calls her ‘Auntie Mary’. Anyone who meets Mary loves her and she inspires people of all ages to get growing.
Allotment Angels of Includeme2 club The Allotment Angels has been recycling and upcycling to make the plot vibrant and colourful. The nursery children visit twice a week to help grow over 40 veggies and herbs. The youngest volunteer is two and the eldest is 92.
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Slopefield Allotment Association This year, primary 6 pupils from Airyhall School welcomed visits from clients of a local elderly person day care centre to the school and to the association’s community allotment plots. The pupils explained how they cared for their plot and what they were growing. Samples of their produce were donated to the day care centre.
Inch View Community Gardeners Two local schools have helped plant spring bulbs and have transformed one garden space at the care home from uninteresting to stunning, with the help of an award and advice from the RHS. The school also produced a war-time recipe book from interviews with residents. Links with the schools have created friendships across generations. The schools have hosted Strawberry Teas for residents and cooked meals from food grown at the home. The recipe book helped students appreciate the hardships suffered by many of the residents in the war years.
Cummings Park Community Flat The group works with vulnerable or challenging young people, encouraging them to be mindful of the community garden surroundings. Through either their own plants or appreciation of other plants, they are encouraged to be mindful of the wider environment and show an appreciation of their own environment. The young people work with adult volunteers; the 82-year-old main gardener shows the young people how healthy being outdoors and being with nature can be. She talks to the young people in a language they understand in terms of soil, gardening, plants, seasons etc. The young people are involved in creating the community garden and a space inclusive of all generations.
Organic Growers of Fairlie The group worked with children from Largs Primary School and Largs Academy, helping them complete a John Muir Award and helping them work to achieve a National 4 certificate in Rural Skills with crop production. The young people also helped create an eco play and nature area. They chose wildflower and other seeds to plant and grow for pollinators. They planted them when ready and also planted apple trees, soft fruit and vegetables in the area for the community. One student painted the bed for their Duke of Edinburgh Award.
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Falkirk Fife
Community Green Initiative Outstanding
The group runs litter picks highlighting the issues of dog fouling and promoting the Green Dog Walkers scheme. It encourages waste minimisation and neighbourhood improvements. Its main long-term project is the development of Herbertshire Castle Park, in partnership with the council and other groups.
Hallglen Clean Up Establishing Blooming Dairsie By working as a community, the group is looking Outstanding to improve green spaces by removing litter, planting wildflowers and creating more social Since 2013, this small group has strived year upon areas. year to enhance and improve the overall look of the village with floral displays. The group gained sponsorship from the local residents for the Nailer Park Tenants and planters around the village. This is acknowledged Residents Association with neatly written signs on each planter. Thriving
Projects include the installation of a path and a CLEAR Buckhaven & Methil large extension to the children’s play area, running Outstanding social events, securing access to a garage to store equipment, and creating a garden to grow fruit The group works to improve the environment and and vegetables. build community spirit through planting orchards and woodlands, running community growing spaces, bulb planting and floral enhancement, community art and heritage. The result is a healthier and more attractive town and diverse, productive greenspaces.
Crombie Residents Association Thriving
The association is dedicated to the improvement of the village which has suffered a decline in services in recent years. It has developed a community garden which continues to help create an active centre and to encourage greater participation of residents.
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East March Street, Kirkcaldy, Community Gardens & Allotments Outstanding
The allotment holders have garnered ongoing support from local stores. Help is freely given to new plot holders to help get them started and excess produce is distributed locally. There are seating areas, a small fountain, herb plantings and small areas of mixed herbaceous planting.
Growing Auchmuty Outstanding
The project is all about improving the health and Kinghorn Harbour Residents and wellbeing of the community. It is open to all ages Environmental Group and abilities, and aims to provide a safe, Outstanding welcoming environment for all who take part. The group aims to maintain and improve the environment of Kinghorn Harbour by providing plants, flowers, bedding and containers, including Halbeath Environmental planters, barrels and the group’s unique
Improvement Group ‘shipwreck’ feature. The group also carries out Thriving regular beach surveys and clean-ups for the The group works all year to make the environment Marine Conservation Society. more attractive for local residents. It is increasing floral enhancement every year and last year carried out an additional project, siting two Kirkcaldy Old Kirk Trust memorial benches and planters in the village. Outstanding
A group of volunteers maintaining the former Old Parish Church as a community venue and
Hayfield Growing heritage centre. They maintain the flower borders Outstanding in the surrounding historic churchyard, making it A Climate Challenge Fund grant started a attractive to nearby residents and visitors alike. community growing project, and now strawberries, apples, plums and raspberries are ripening in the sunny south-facing spot, with Links Road Neighbourhood potatoes, peas, salad leaves and onions amongst Watch the vegetables. The grounds also provide a Thriving sheltered suntrap for people to sit, pollinators to The purpose of the group is to work together to buzz and children to play! maintain and improve the environment of Links Road Leven for the benefit of all. The group manages floral enhancement of the road as well as working with the Community Police, the council, local schools and other organisations to promote the local area.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 21 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Muchty in Bloom Dundasvale Community Garden Outstanding Advancing
A small group, now in its fifth year, which cares for The garden is within a sheltered area, surrounded 43 planters and a small plot of ground in the by Queens Cross housing. It is a small growing village. The group is also responsible for verge space next to the bowling green, where residents planting in several areas. This year’s planting can grow their own, meet and socialise, share scheme used mixed begonias. skills and knowledge and enjoy the tranquil spot they have created.
Ravenscraig Walled Gardens Outstanding Friends of Southern Necropolis Outstanding A well-established community garden site used by a number of groups who, between them all, The group strives to promote and preserve the contribute to a very productive garden that is also unique ecological, educational, environmental, open to the general public. It is a hidden gem! historical and genealogical assets of the Gorbals very own “City of the Dead”. It has worked hard to establish strong links with local schools, St Andrews Environmental participates in annual Doors Open Days and is one Network of the locations on the annual Gorbals Bus Tour. Thriving
An environmentally focused community group Gateway Residents Association with a Clean and Green Team which tackles Thriving graffiti and litter problems. Alongside the team, local volunteers have taken over a small patch of The group maintains and improves its local area ground near the network’s office to turn it into a on the south side of Glasgow. It provides historical bug haven with mixed planting. information on the area, commemorating the Battle of Langside and the now closed Victoria Infirmary. The group also gives advice to other groups endeavouring to do similar work. Glasgow City
Kingsway Community Garden Allotment Angels of Includeme2 Thriving club The garden provides opportunities for residents to Outstanding participate in a variety of horticultural and The group has engaged with elderly groups, environmental activities. The space also provides nursery children, community groups and local opportunities for socialising, learning and people which has encouraged a great community encouraging integration and co-operation. spirit. The group has created a country garden, a Gardening activity presents local, low cost sensory pathway and bridge from bed posts, a opportunities for physical activity, access to green frog pond, herb garden and an allotment that space and locally grown produce. bursts with colourful vegetables.
22 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
South Seeds at the Govanhill The Courtyard Garden (Wester Community Garden Common) Outstanding Thriving
South Seeds is in its second year of delivering The gardeners grow salads, herbs, edible flowers weekly gardening sessions to residents on behalf and vegetables that can be freshly harvested and of Govanhill Housing Association. This fully handed straight to the café kitchen for accessible space provides the community with a production, any surplus crops are given out to the place to learn how to grow fruit, vegetables and local community. The café has been composting ornamental plants. its food waste to be used on the raised beds.
Square Yard Urban Roots Advancing Outstanding
Square Yard is a reclaimed piece of land which is The group has transformed previously unused now used for growing fruit and vegetables by the spaces in Toryglen into thriving community local residents. The garden has eight raised beds gardens, growing herbs, vegetables, fruit and of various heights, a covered work space, a secure flowers. This has made the area look more storage for tools and equipment and a polytunnel. attractive, creating well used, safe social places and bringing people together.
The Back Garden Thriving Westercraigs Nursery School Outstanding The Back Garden is tucked away behind tenement flats in what was previously derelict land. There The garden areas are hives of activity, including are several raised beds for shared growing and all wildflower areas, sandpits, potato growing, herb planting and work is carried out on a communal and vegetable beds, a den and a ‘Hagrid’s House’ basis. All produce grown is shared between which Santa visits each year. Children and staff are members and the wider community. encouraged to be outside as much as possible, with the garden being well utilised as an outdoor classroom space.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 23 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Highlands
Woodside Community Garden Outstanding
The garden is nestled between two high flats on a former basketball court. The garden was developed in 2014, with raised beds built for local Gairloch Sitooterie – Wildlife people to use, and is part of Queens Cross Observation Garden Housing Association. The colourfully painted Outstanding planters and their contents make this an attractive and welcoming space. Members of the local community fundraised to clear an area to create a waterside garden, with seating to enjoy the spectacular panoramic views Yorkhill Greenspaces of the loch and the fantastic wildlife which Thriving inhabits it.
The group improves and maintains the parks, green spaces and play areas within Yorkhill. Established in 2016, the group has worked with the local community to plant numerous plants in these parks and to improve the look of these neglected areas.
Raasay Walled Garden Outstanding
The historic Walled Garden behind Raasay House on the Isle of Raasay has been under community ownership since 2007. Following a lot of work by volunteers it has been back in production since 2017. The group supplies local businesses and the community with fresh produce and has made the garden an enjoyable space to visit.
24 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Wellington Allotment Gardens Inverclyde Association Outstanding
The group has improved the allotment site adding a polytunnel, more plots for all abilities, raised beds, a pond, and a Members’ Cabin with toilet – all from grant/self-funding. The group has links with the local college and Scout group, getting a grant to install raised beds and a shed/tools for them to start gardening in earnest.
Midlothian
Midlothian Community Hospital Garden Belville Community Garden Outstanding Outstanding The garden is run as a partnership between NHS An accessible community garden, allotment and Lothian and the Cyrenians. It brings people biodiversity area on a brownfield site in Greenock together, making new friends, growing food and which includes a training kitchen, new education enjoying the open air whilst improving mental room and workshops. The group works with the and physical health and learning new skills. local community across generations, helping people to grow and flourish. Rosewell Development Trust Thriving Blooming Inverkip Advancing The trust works with many groups, all aiming to enhance the environment and develop activities Blooming Inverkip has created a lovely welcoming for the community. The new Community Hub floral entrance to Inverkip Hub. This group, which project is well under way and should benefit the only formed earlier this year, has brought a wealth village greatly when up and running. of gardening expertise and commitment to brightening up the village and is inclusive, encouraging others to take part whatever their gardening experience.
Inverclydebuzz Outstanding
A band of beekeepers trying to save the bees and pollinators by creating a corridor of beautiful wild flowers across Inverclyde and improving acres of derelict and vacant land in terms of biodiversity and visual amenity.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 25 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Moray
SPICE Thriving
A partnership of various bodies in Elgin working together to enhance and improve the environment for the benefit of residents, business and visitors. The partnership was originally established with the aim of reducing litter and has expanded into taking responsibility for other projects including floral displays. Organic Growers of Fairlie Outstanding North Ayrshire A sustainable garden at the heart of the community, with 170 members growing vegetables and fruit. There are also wild areas, a woodland and a community eco-play edible area. Barrmill Conservation Group The group is part of the Green Health Network, Outstanding working with local schools with a rural skills/ gardening course and the John Muir Award. The group manages a beautiful conservation area and volunteers have created paths and viewing areas that enhance the area’s environment and heritage. Amazing garden features and plants are all well cared for and there are many opportunities North Lanarkshire for outdoor participation in gardening, growing and nature related events. Friends of Centenary & West End Parks Beith Orr Park Neighbourhood Outstanding Watch Outstanding Over the years the group has introduced many initiatives into the park including an historic trail, a A derelict gap site has been transformed into a winter evening odyssey trail, restored an historic courtyard of colour, one of the many monument, lighting projects, a wildlife pond, achievements of this group. It has also been the three play areas and a sensory garden. guiding light is establishing the annual wood carving event, Garnock Valley Carves, which attracts visitors from all corners of Great Britain to Beith.
26 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Getting Better Together Ltd Northern Corridor Community Outstanding Volunteers Outstanding The community garden offers something that all ages can get involved with, use and enjoy. Last The group cleans up community pathways and year a Men’s Shed was introduced. The green space in and between eight villages, organisation prides itself on empowering the removes invasive species and enriches areas with people in the community to take ownership of native planting to encourage biodiversity. It also their environment. Getting Better Together has a works to protect wildlife habitat by clearing out large team of volunteers and it celebrates their local burns to improve water quality. achievements each year with a volunteer award event. Upperton Residents Committee Improving Glenboig Development Trust Outstanding Although a young group, it has been extremely successful in accessing funding for developments The trust has achieved so much over the 19 years in the village and has a plan of future actions it since it began. Clearly for the benefit of local would like to take forward for the benefit of local residents, with health, wellbeing and the people. environment underpinning all of its work, the group continues to evolve, developing new initiatives for the benefit of local people. Watch Us Grow Outstanding Greenhead Moss Conservation Since its formation in 1999, Watch Us Grow has Group been supporting adults with special needs. It is Outstanding based around an ever-growing and flourishing organic garden that provides a therapeutic Tasks carried out include wildflower meadow and learning experience, where self-confidence and woodland management, litter picks, maintenance self-esteem can develop along with a range of of access infrastructure, citizen science projects to skills to do with organic gardening, recycling and record species within the park, remnant bog tree composting. regeneration removal and reseeding bare areas.
Westfield Community Garden Hope Community Garden Establishing Outstanding This sheltered housing complex in Kilsyth The garden is part of the community and caters surrounds large grassy areas. The group is working for everyone including elderly residents and hard to encourage residents to add colour to the physically and mentally disabled people. The green; planted-out pots, annuals and vegetables group helps promote healthy eating and healthy are now apearing outside houses and on fencing. mental health, teaching residents how to grow their own vegetables and doing away with social isolation.
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 27 Keep Scotland Beautiful
Perth and Kinross Renfrewshire
Luncarty & Redgorton in Bloom Bee Happy Houston Advancing Outstanding
A small group which enjoys brightening up the Houston is a hive of activity every Thursday, when wee village! Projects are well suited to the over twenty volunteers blitz the village using their community and the group has been successful in gardening skills. What this group has achieved in encouraging participation. It is evident that the under four years is immense, with numerous group’s efforts present a well-cared for and sustainable plantings, litter picks and pockets of welcoming village. colour.
Elderslie Community Council Thriving
The group is dedicated to making Elderslie a beautiful village. A palette of colours greets the visitor on arrival, from wall baskets on the railings to a three-tier planter in Stoddard Square, the community has reinvigorated this Renfrewshire village.
Erskine Community Garden Outstanding
A haven of tranquility is how this garden space could be described. It is truly inclusive, open to all
Perth Station Garden Club and ‘just pure fun’. Outstanding
The group has created a beautiful oasis beside the busy station – it is a restful space for staff and a Grow in Glenburn thriving biodiversity haven. It demonstrates Outstanding creativity and colour and it is clear how much love Now 10 years old, Grow in Glenburn is an and attention the volunteers put into the garden. established community garden which continues to develop. The group works in collaboration with local schools and Barnardo’s, and the growing space is open to the public for its summer event and for Doors Open Day.
28 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Sandyflats Community Garden and Play Park Improving
Linstone Housing Association is breathing environmental life into Sandyflats via the community hub where a community garden will grow and bring life back into a rundown playpark.
SuGar Group Improving
As part of Williamsburgh Housing Association’s Community Regeneration activity, the SuGar Friends of Barshaw Park group flourishes in supporting a garden based Thriving project and involving the community to be more environmentally aware. A visit to the Walled Garden within the park shows how a friends of group can successfully recreate an area of horticultural excellence. The ‘group also act as the eyes and ears for the local community The Village Garden over the maintenance schedule of the whole park. Establishing The Village Garden is a network of community organisations and individuals working to develop Lochwinnoch Sustainable a new green community space in Linwood. From Community Garden Group care homes to nurseries, they all work together to Outstanding create a community needs-based space.
A group of plant and garden lovers which resurrected the community garden three years ago. The group aims to help people in the community become engaged with plants and nature. It also grows plants to decorate the village Scottish Borders in spring and summer and tries to grow plants that support birds, bees and insects. 1st Eyemouth Guides and 2nd Brownies Pals of the Privies Improving Thriving The group carries out beach cleans and litter tidies around the town, paints walls and planters. They Glencoats Park, known locally as the Privies, is an had a display at the War Memorial Remembrance area in Ferguslie Park that had been left to ruin for Day and decorated the community centre for decades. The group has transformed this and is Eyemouth Herring Queen festival. making it a safe place for the whole community to enjoy. There is a fairy garden, a superhero trail and a Memorial Garden.
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Abundant Borders Advancing
Abundant Borders works within the community to create a network of community food gardens across the Scottish Borders. The community food gardens act as a training base for people to learn how to grow their own food in a sustainable way and then how to turn that food into healthy, inexpensive meals.
Lauder Primary School Gardening Club Outstanding Forth Eco Site All Primary 4 children join the club for the calendar Outstanding year, sowing, growing, cooking, eating and selling The site has both indoor and outdoor raised beds their own organic fruit and vegetables. The garden where local people and groups can grow their has five raised beds, a fruit garden, wildlife garden, own produce. The group encourages volunteers compost bays and a large shed. The school has also for both the upkeep of the site, and to help with achieved Level 5 in the RHS Campaign for School the floral displays for the village. It also grows Gardening. produce for the local food bank.
Whitsome Enhancement Group Friends of Holmhills Wood Thriving Community Park A small group of local people committed to Thriving improving the local environment and fostering good A large woodland park which is an important part community relations. This is achieved by of the greenspace in central Cambuslang. The maintaining floral displays and looking after an area group liaises with teachers, support staff and known as the Loaning, which includes a polytunnel community groups to facilitate outdoor learning. where members grow vegetables and plants.
Friends of the Calder Thriving
South Lanarkshire A volunteer environmental group going from strength to strength. A pond and wildflower meadow have been created with support from East Mains Community Council Countryside Rangers and Froglife, and the group Advancing carries out frequent litter picks, organises the collection of flytipped material, and regularly Village in Bloom is located across five streets in captures and shares photographs of local nature. East Mains, East Kilbride. Each summer, volunteers and other stakeholders plant tubs with floral displays, bringing colour to the village.
30 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
Grow 73 Riverside Naturally Advancing Advancing
A community led charity aiming to build its A new community group that involves people who community through food growing, increasing live or work in Riverside in Stirling, in developing biodiversity, organising events and a regeneration the open spaces in environmentally friendly ways. project. The group has adopted Rutherglen train The community orchard is very well planted and station and has developed a school edible garden managed and the plans for extending the with one of the local primary schools. wildflower meadow will only help the orchard by bringing in more pollinating insects.
West Dunbartonshire
Action Old Kilpatrick Outstanding
A group of local residents working hard to improve Old Kilpatrick. Work has encouraged local traders to invest in colourful hanging baskets, and partnerships with West Dunbartonshire Council, Countryside Rangers, and Scottish Canals have TACT Healthy Park been supportive and encouraging. Thriving
The ethos of this park in Blantyre is to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyle and to be accessible to the wider community. All produce is available to the community for voluntary West Lothian donations.
Crofthead Community Garden Establishing
The group began work this year on an unoccupied Stirling garden which had become very overgrown. The group plans to bring the garden back to a resource which can be enjoyed by local people, Greener Cambusbarron either to help to manage, to play and learn in, or Outstanding to sit and enjoy a cuppa from the nearby café.
The group is supported and sponsored by the community council. Its remit is to improve the green spaces within the village and provide floral displays during the summer and winter in order to create a pleasant environment for all residents.
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Keep Scotland Beautiful “I would like to say a huge congratulations to everyone involved “ in this year’s It’s Your Neighbourhjood initiative. You are all amazing, giving so much of your time and energy to connect people in your community to ensure your neighbourhoods are beautiful places. You are inspirational to anyone who is wanting to improve their area. With ever declining local environmental quality, it is more important than ever that local authorities, business and community groups pull together and that Keep Scotland Beautiful can support, reward and celebrate your achievements.”
“Juliette Camburn, Community Projects Officer, Keep Scotland Beautiful
If you would like to find out more about how to get involved or how you can support our It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative, please visit our web pages at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/iyn or call 01786 477171.
32 www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org It’s Your Neighbourhood Souvenir Brochure: 2019
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 33
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