Friends of Lauriston Castle – The NEN

Blooming Beautiful! Awards celebrate our climate and nature friendly neighbourhoods

18 Edinburgh community groups recognised for commitment to keeping Scotland beautiful

Today, 11 November, over 200 community groups from across Scotland have been recognised by environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, for their efforts to support and enhance their local communities, for the climate and for nature.

At a virtual 2021 Beautiful Scotland and It’s Your Neighbourhood Seminar and celebration event, 18 It’s Your Neighbourhood entrants from Edinburgh were congratulated for their efforts with a certificate of achievement (see table below), with four also receiving a Certificate of Distinction for continuous improvement.

In addition, Friends of Starbank Park also won second place in the NatureScot It’s Your Neighbourhood Pollinator Friendly Awards.

Catherine Gee, Deputy CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful said: “With the world’s biggest and most important climate change conference to date taking place in Glasgow this week, it is brilliant to be celebrating the work of these communities in Edinburgh who are taking action now.

“We know that across Scotland people are committed to improving and enhancing the places that they care about. And, through the It’s Your Neighbourhood entrants we hear of people doing their bit to understand their own greenhouse emissions and to support nature in the places they care about. These people are making a real difference and I would like to thank them for inspiring us every day.”

This year, three NatureScot It’s Your Neighbourhood Pollinator Friends Awards were presented at the seminar and Friends of Starbank Park, scooped second place, winning £150.

Jim Jeffrey, Pollinator Strategy Manager with NatureScot, who announced the award said: “Once again the Keep Scotland Beautiful Pollinator Friendly Award has attracted a host of interesting entries. The standard just gets better each year.

“Making space for nature, as we face up to the twin threat of climate change and biodiversity loss, has never been more important, and each of the community groups in this category have impressed with the range of actions they are taking.

“The winning projects were among a of number of great examples showing how working together we can help pollinators, whilst making our communities and green spaces more appealing, and fantastic places to spend time in.”

The annual seminar celebrated everything that the entrants, from 30 local authority areas, have achieved in their communities to combat climate change and support biodiversity.

Entrants have also worked to enhance their neighbourhoods, involve the community, and improve areas through gardening and horticulture while tackling litter and other environmental quality challenges.

Speakers included representatives from various entrants from across Scotland, sharing their inspiring stories and delegates also heard about the exciting opportunity to get involved with Scotland’s Climate Festival.

It’s Your Neighbourhood entrants were visited by one of 23 trained volunteer assessors who provide their support, expertise and guidance through the It’s Your Neighbourhood framework which is a part of the UK-wide RHS Britain in Bloom campaign.

RHS Community Development Manager Kay Clark said: “Community gardening groups are showing that, through their work, they can bring communities together, transform outdoor spaces and work in support of wildlife and the local environment.

“They are showing that gardening has a role to play in addressing the challenges that we collectively face and that is every reason to celebrate.”

If you would like to join the #OurBloom family, gain access to support and advice, and help us to keep Scotland beautiful, online registration for 2022 will open in mid-January on the Keep Scotland Beautiful website.

The Edinburgh entrants and their results can be found in the table below:

Group Name	Local authority area	IYN Certificate 2021	Level 2021	Certificate of Distinction 2021
Balerno Village Gardeners	City of Edinburgh	Outstanding	5	Y
Craigentinny Community Gardening Project	City of Edinburgh	Improving	2
Ferry Road Allotments	City of Edinburgh	Outstanding	5
Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden	City of Edinburgh	Thriving	4	Y
Friends of Lauriston Castle Estate	City of Edinburgh	Advancing	3
Friends of Morningside Cemetery	City of Edinburgh	Thriving	4
Friends of Saughton Park	City of Edinburgh	Outstanding	5
Friends of Starbank Park (NatureScot IYN Pollinator Friendly Award – second place)	City of Edinburgh	Outstanding	5	Y
Heart of Newhaven	City of Edinburgh	Advancing	3
Inch View Care Home	City of Edinburgh	Thriving	4
Inspiring Hillside	City of Edinburgh	Advancing	3
Inverleith Allotments	City of Edinburgh	Outstanding	5
Kirkliston in Bloom	City of Edinburgh	Establishing	1
Lochend Community Growing Project	City of Edinburgh	Outstanding	5	Y
Northfield Community Growing Group	City of Edinburgh	Advancing	3
The Lions’ Gate	City of Edinburgh	Advancing	3
The Sorted Project	City of Edinburgh	Improving	2
Victoria After School Club	City of Edinburgh	Thriving	4

Local groups receive awards for Keeping Scotland Beautiful

The efforts of 14 Edinburgh groups have been acknowledged by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful at an online seminar yesterday.

North Edinburgh is well represented among these green-fingered groups, with awards for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Fresh Start Growers, Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden, Friends of Lauriston Castle Estate, Friends of Starbank Park and North Edinburgh Arts Gardening Group.

The other capital groups to receive awards are Balerno Village Gardeners, Craigentinny Community Gardening Project, Craigentinny Primary Parent Council, Friends of Morningside Cemetery, Friends of Saughton Park, Inch View Care Home, Inspiring Hillside and Northfield Community Growing Group.

Annually Keep Scotland Beautiful runs two community environmental improvement programmes in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society; the competitive Beautiful Scotland campaign and the It’s Your Neighbourhood initiative.

In total 197 groups, those who would in previous years have been out creating and maintaining community gardens or allotments, looking after habitats for wildlife and adopting streets, have been issued with Certificates of Recognition for the work volunteers and supporters did manage to carry out to brighten up and pull their neighbourhoods together during this year’s health pandemic.

A full list of the 14 groups from Edinburgh can be found in the attached table (below).

Edinburgh-groups Download

Faced with the challenges of 2020, there has never been a more important time to recognise and celebrate the achievements of communities and individuals across Edinburgh.

Throughout lockdown and the following months, groups have worked tirelessly to improve their communities through horticulture, environmental responsibility and working in partnership for the benefit of residents, visitors and our natural environment.

Despite circumstances this year, 47 new entrants were welcomed to the network, and although judging and mentoring visits were not able to take place due to restrictions across Scotland, groups were still supported with online seminars, networking events, question and answer sessions and a weekly e-newsletter.

Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “We know that lockdown resulted in many people reconnecting with green and blue spaces local to them. Yet, it has also been a particularly challenging year for the communities who strive every year to protect and enhance the places they live and work in.

“We have been amazed by the desire of communities, volunteers and local authorities to stay connected, motivated and inspired by each other, all with a steadfast determination to do things to make a difference, even if this had to be done differently this year.

“I’d like to thank all the groups in Edinburgh for the efforts they have made to keep Scotland beautiful this year.”

Although many of the groups had to stop or curtail their planned activities for the year, we have been blown away by what they have managed to achieve – whether that be setting up a food bank, encouraging and supporting others to grow their own, creating virtual garden tours, connecting their members through online catch ups and keeping their neighbourhoods bright and cheerful.

Andrea Van Sittart, RHS Head of Community Outreach said: “It’s truly inspiring that so many Scottish communities continued to support others in need this year.

“From a phone box larder in Muthill to planter kits for others in Inverkip, the groups have shown incredible creativity and ingenuity responding to the needs of their diverse communities through this challenging time. Congratulations to all groups on their amazing efforts.”

If you’d like to join the network in 2021, check out the website for inspiration and details on how to get involved:

www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/BeautifulScotland or www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/IYN

Take a stand for Lauriston Castle

Lauriston Castle is in danger from it’s Trustees who have mismanaged Lauriston Castle over many years, say Friends campaigners.

The castle and grounds were left to the Nation in 1926 by Mr & Mrs Reid. There are rooms in the Castle that the public have not been allowed to see contrary to Mr & Mrs Reid’s Will and Trust Deed.

There are treasures that the Trustees have allowed to significantly deteriorate/be damaged and not restored.

· why there is only £42,000 in the endowment fund when the Trustees were left the equivalent of over £2,000,000 and the potential to increase that amount?

· why over £190,000 of Council Taxpayers money is not recorded in the Lauriston Castle Trust Accounts?

· when are the Trustees going to restore Lauriston Castle Glasshouse (above) and other historic monuments?

· when are the Trustees going to restore the grounds to their former glory envisaged by the donors, Mr & Mrs Reid?

A stand needs to be made to restore Lauriston Castle to it’s rightful glory.

To this end you may wish to join Friends of Lauriston Castle where you can have your say and hear of action that needs to be taken:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/787704665301389