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Embargoed until 0001hrs, Sunday 13 th October strikes gold at Britain in Bloom awards

String of winners announced at UK awards ceremony – the “gardening Oscars”

The independent charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is celebrating after a series of successes for Scottish entrants to the UK RHS Britain in Bloom awards ceremony, held in the Starlight Rooms at The Beachcomber Holiday Park & Entertainments Centre, on Saturday evening. The Beautiful Scotland awards are used to identify the cream of Scottish environmental quality achievement, and Keep Scotland Beautiful was hopeful of some home grown success at UK level.

In the event, five Scottish entries secured gold medal awards, and three scooped top category awards too: • won the Large City category and Gold • Coupar Angus won Gold and the Large Village category • Aberdour Village won the Coastal (up to 12,000) category and Gold • North Berwick won Gold in the RHS Champion of Champions category • picked up Gold in the Large Town category

In addition, Glenrothes was presented with the prestgious RHS Britain in Bloom Horticultural Award for the best horticultural displays, Blairgowie & Rattray was awarded a Silver Gilt in the Town category, and Uddingston took Silver Gilt in the Urban Community category.

Derek Robertson , Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful said:

“These are magnificent successes for our Scottish entries at these annual UK awards and for the communities that we have nurtured through our Beautiful Scotland awards. As a charity we are determined to celebrate the very best of community effort to improve local environments all over Scotland. NEWS RELEASE

“Edinburgh’s success in the city category is, of course, particularly pleasing for our capital city but the standard of entries being faced in every category was higher than ever. We are determined to use this fantastic achievement, and those of other successes from Aberdour to Uddingston, to motivate even more communities to make their communities cleaner, greener places and make our 2014 Beautiful Scotland awards even better than ever.”

A team of fourteen volunteer judges toured the UK in pairs at the end of July and early August visiting each of the finalists. They assessed entries on three main criteria - horticultural achievement, community participation and environmental responsibility.

Images from the ceremony are available at www.digitalphotoevents.co.uk for press- use from Sunday October 13.

2013 Scottish winners:

Edinburgh in Bloom won its category and got a Gold in the Large City category. RHS Britain in Bloom judges noted that Edinburgh adopted ‘an intensive programme to provide community space for growing throughout the city’ and that there were ‘so many highlights demonstrating the depth and quality of this beautiful city’s Bloom campaign.’

Coupar Angus Pride of Place won its category (Large Village) and was awarded a Gold. The village was also awarded a Community Award. RHS Judges said community ‘support is diverse and varied and comes from a complete cross section of the community’ and noted that ‘from the moment you arrive you cannot fail to be impressed.’

Rona McKinnon, Chair of the Coupar Angus Pride of Place Group, said: “Winning the title of Best Large Village in RHS Britain in Bloom is truly a testament to the community spirit of the residents who have united to help regenerate the village and make it a better place in which to live and work, and to visit. Coupar Angus is both NEWS RELEASE

physically and socially better for this opportunity and on behalf of the Pride of Place Group I would like to thank everyone who supported this nomination.”

Aberdour Village in Bloom was the third Scottish finalist to win its category (Coastal up to 12,000 population), and also achieved a Gold. RHS Judges, Jeff Bates and Nigel Bishop were highly impressed and said ‘a lovely day and a wonderful community – thank you for hosting our visit.’

Take a Pride in Glenrothes also won a Gold in the Large Town category and won the RHS Britain in Bloom Horticulture Award for best displays. RHS Judges said: “Not only did we see traditional bedding of the highest quality there were huge areas of wild flower meadows and super perennial bedding.’

‘Scotland is renowned for fine bedding plants and Glenrothes is no exception. Not only did we see traditional bedding of the highest quality there were huge areas of wild flower meadows and super perennial bedding. This selection of plant material resulted in a balanced array of very high quality which enhanced the entire Large Town of Glenrothes.’

North Berwick in Bloom won a Gold in the RHS Champion of Champions category which recognises the achievements of communities who regulalry participate and excel in the RHS Britain in Bloom finals. Rosie Oberlander won an RHS Community Champion award for driving the campaign. Of Rosie, an RHS judge said: “A quiet but very effective person with a prodigious appetite for work she organises the volunteers where she leads by example in hands on tasks.”

Uddingston Pride was awarded a Silver Gilt, the second highest accolade, in the Urban Community category. RHS Judges said: “We enjoyed our tour immensely and in particular the fact that many local people clearly appreciate what the group do.”

Alex Stephen, Vice-Chair of Uddingston Pride, said: "Our participation in RHS Britain in Bloom has helped Uddingston Pride to improve our local environment and has NEWS RELEASE

been a major factor in raising the profile of what we are striving to achieve within the local community. We find that we are learning and improving year on year. This year our major gain from competing has been that we have been helped by various local groups and we hope to consolidate this raised interest on a long term basis. It is vital to involve younger members and groups to continue with the work already done.”

Blairgowie & Rattray in Bloom was also awarded a Silver Gilt in the Town category. RHS Judges Jon Wheatley and Brendan Mowforth said: “Scotland can be proud of its beautiful Perthshire town. The bloom group has made a vast difference to the environment and the community.”

ENDS

Notes to editors 1. Keep Scotland Beautiful is Scotland’s leading force acting, campaigning and training others to clean up local environments and to change the behaviour which blights our urban and rural landscape; it is part of its work to help make Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow. Further details at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org 2. Beautiful Scotland is a long-established community environmental improvement campaign which feeds entrants to the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Britain in Bloom competition. Previously known as Beautiful Scotland in Bloom, the programme supports community groups across Scotland as they seek to improve and enhance their local environment. Further details at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/beautifulscotland 3. RHS Britain in Bloom is the UK’s largest community gardening campaign, involving more than 300,000 people. As part of RHS Britain in Bloom - and its sister campaign, RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood (which Keep Scotland Beautiful administers in Scotland) - volunteers in cities, towns, villages, urban communities and neighbourhoods work together to improve their local environment, using gardening as a tool. To find out more, visit: www.rhs.org.uk/communities 4. Media enquiries to Peter Duncan on 07740 469949, or Andy Maciver on 07855 261244. 5. Images from the ceremony are available at www.digitalphotoevents.co.uk for press-use from Sunday October 13.