The City of Edinburgh Council was presented with two Beautiful Scotland awards at a ceremony yesterday. Edinburgh City Council won the City Award for the first time having impressed the judges during their tour of the city in August this year.
The High Flats Village Trophy went to residents of Hailesland Park in Edinburgh, a community run project which is supported by the Council.
The top award for "the most clean, sustainable and beautiful community in Scotland" went to Glenrothes in Fife.
The judges that visited Edinburgh commended the city for "a very high standard of horticulture and cleanliness, despite the poor weather and the pressure of tourism."
In their comments, the judges focused on popular floral features and development of green spaces.
“The floral clock retains its consistent high standard and the Princes St. Gardens looked good."
“The new gardens at St.Andrew Square will be an impressive community asset too. The wild flower planting at the Botanics continued the theme throughout the city of encouraging naturalised areas.' and 'Bridgend Allotments is an example of a well-run allotment scheme. It is encouraging to see the number of Friends groups that Edinburgh is fostering for many of its parks and green spaces."
The Beautiful Scotland - formerly Beautiful Scotland in Bloom -
awards assess four main criteria: floral displays (for example the
design and quality of horticultural features and displays, and
standards of maintenance); sustainable development and biodiversity
initiatives (such as projects to conserve energy, protect wildlife and
habitats, the promotion of green transport, initiatives for waste
minimisation, recycling, re-use and composting); environmental quality
(for example the absence of litter, dog fouling, graffiti, fly-posting
and weeds); and community involvement.
David Jamieson, Parks and Greenspace Manager said, "We are delighted to received this award. We have been working hard alongside communities in the city to keep our public areas clean, green and beautiful. The renovation of St. Andrew Square Garden has proved highly successful and work we have undertaken to invest in long-term tree health by carrying out a city-wide tree survey is also proving to have a positive impact for the city. Other initiatives that gained points for us was the use of City Car Club and hybrid cars at the Council along with the Green Flag scheme that is used to rate the quality of our parks. The work of neighbourhood teams has also contributed to street cleanliness and the lack of dog fouling which has made an impact on our scores."
Of the Hailesland Park entry judges commented, "A wonderful example of a high rise community working together, including young people, transforming their outdoor living space. We hope their commitment continues and that they are able to develop further areas as they wish. It was good to see the Council supporting their efforts".
Jenny Dawe, Council Leader said, "Edinburgh is a green city of thriving parks, gardens and woodland areas. Anyone who visits the city can't fail to notice the stunning beauty of the place. This environment exists because of the hard work and dedication of a team of people who work all year round to manage our surroundings and ensure that residents and visitors get as many chances as possible to experience that city's fantastic green spaces."