Progress Report January 2006
Kirsty Leonard
This is the Year - for our first entry into Beautiful Scotland in
Bloom. Are we ready? Well, not really, but we could go on saying that for years.
Hopefully, having targets to meet will keep the adrenalin flowing and provide
fresh impetus. Bathgate were delighted to be placed second to Perth in their
category, and the feeling is that it has given a huge boost to community and
civic pride at the town.
Steering Group - After a year in the Chair, Greg Leonard has stepped
down and Joyce Paterson (01506 847021) has taken over as Chairperson. Kirsty
Leonard (01506 848427) has taken on Secretarial duties as well as covering the
Minutes, and Sheila Ashby remains as Treasurer. We thank Greg for all his help
in the past year, and he is still on call for active service. Other members of
the voluntary Steering group are Liz Burrows, John Carswell, Joy Dawson, Chantal
Hamill, Chris Long and Ron Smith.
Hazel Duguid, Shirley Smith and Diane Fairweather all take an active part in
maintaining the borders.
Fund Raising - We shall have our third annual Spring Plant Sale this
year on Saturday May 27th, again at the Cross. Please pot up any spare seedlings
and plants and bring them along. We have wholesale supplies of pots, trays,
compost and labels for use for the sale, which are considerably cheaper than the
garden centres, so please contact Kirsty (848427) for supplies. Bedding,
herbaceous and vegetable plants all sell well.
We raised £293 at last year's Spring sale, £86 at the Round Table Fun Day,
and £330 at the Advent Fair including the Raffle and "Guess Teddy's
Birthday". We are really grateful to all the High St Businesses who were so
generous with terrific prizes. And we were greatly relieved that the snow and
gales let up in time, having booked an outdoor stall for selling bowls of bulbs.
Fun Dog Show - Plans are under way for a fund-raising (definitely-not-Crufts)
Family Dog Show and Fun day on the Peel on Saturday May 6th. There will be fun
classes for the family pooch such as waggiest tail, hairiest coat, cutest
canine, best veteran, junior handler, best trick - and also a Most Elegant Black
Bitch (four legged) class. There will also be Craft stalls and fair rides,
demonstrations from Grangemouth K9 Crazy Dog Club and the SnoPeak Hug a Husky
Group. Any dog lovers who would like to be involved in getting this together,
please contact Sheila Ashby (01506 840565). Please put it in your diary now and
come and support us.
Volunteers - Next year we aim to each take responsibility for one or
two beds for the weeding and deadheading through the season, maybe in pairs. But
there are only seven of us actively gardening and there are about 14 areas to
cover. We need more summer volunteers!
Review - It was decided to postpone having a public meeting, but to
hold a Review for helpers, sponsors and West Lothian Council. This was held in
the Dalyell Room at County Buildings on 26th October . Jim Saunders, NETS and
Land Services Manager, Pat Kerr from Bathgate in Bloom and Kirsty Leonard gave
presentations. The evening was rounded off with wine and refreshments and the
opportunity for discussion. We had excellent attendance, but were disappointed
that West Lothian Chief Executive Alex Linkston was unable to attend at the last
minute.
Plans for 2006
We will continue with the borders that we have had this year and we have
plans for the following:
Lowport Roundabout / Regent Centre Frontage - This is an important
focal point at the end of the High Street. We were unable to reach agreement
with E & H Shepherd and County Properties, but West Lothian Council have
entered an agreement with them, and will undertake some planting. After much
discussion, we think that fairly minimalist planting of three irregular beds
within the grass, using white stemmed birch, sorbus (rowan/mountain ash) and
spring bulbs would be elegant and eye catching, while maintaining the softening
effect of the grass against concrete and tarmac.
Blackness Road - McCarthy and Stone have kindly agreed to make a bed
on the corner of Springfield Road for us. Their landscapers have come up with a
very nice design with a stone wall and permanent planting at the back, with
space for a feature or bedding at the front. They are also replacing the trees
along the road which have recently been going backwards.
Linlithgow Bridge - We are exploring the possibility of fixing troughs
along the Avon Bridge, but it is proving a difficult and expensive venture. We
were inspired in the summer by the main bridge over the Tay in Perth where we
counted 40 magnificent troughs, each containing about 25 plants. Keep dreaming!
Doocot and Learmonth Park - We are investigating with NETS the
possible tidying and replanting of the overgrown area behind the Doocot.
Westport - We planted a bed at the corner of Preston Road which has
been well received. Tom Pollock is designing a "Katie Wearie " feature
for us. This will extend the present bed into a nearly circular shape with
graded height and planting as at present. There will be gravel in the centre
with a small stone bench, and a stone Cairn carrying a plaque to recount the
legend.
Black Bitch - While the Black Bitch appears on the Town Seal and the
Town Signs, the Cross fountain and benches, the ceiling of St Michael's, the
carpet in the Academy, the furniture in the Robing room, the eponymous Pub and
probably elsewhere in the town, there is a feeling that a plaque carrying the
legend together with a wall mosaic in a prominent place might enhance the
Townscape. We are investigating applying for a "Grants for All"
(£5,000) and engaging a resident / visiting artist to plan the mosaic and
oversee members of the community working on the project. We have the backing of
the Council Arts Development Officer and the Conservation Officer for the
project, which is similar to one planned for the Millennium but which never came
to fruition. The funding for that one has expired, but we should be able to get
a £1,000 grant from the Council Arts & Cultural Services. We are
investigating working either with a group of elderly people or with a youth
project. For examples of the kind of community mosaics that have been done in
other places see the websites: www.alanpotter-publicart.co.uk
and www.zantium.co.uk. Comments on the
pros and cons of such a project will be welcomed.
Fairtrade - We are talking with the Fair Trade group about making a
bed containing the logo and "Linlithgow - Fair Trade Town" statement
at the round Community Council bed between the Star and Garter and the railway
bridge. The colours of the logo do not lend themselves to flowers, so we may use
coloured pebbles. Has anyone got any expertise in this area?
Station - Liz Burrows has worked hard on the station and there has
been much appreciation from travellers. However, watering is proving a problem
and we need a rota of strong young people to water the barrels on their way to
or from work. Watering cans and tap are in the old Waiting Room, could also keep
overalls there for Slick City Dressers. Any offers? She is hoping to get some
hanging troughs on the railings for next year and the Primary Schools are
working in their Enterprise Groups on ceramic tiles for the stairwell surround.
St Michael's Church Embroiderers have also promised to make three banners for
the centre of the stairwell (fire retardant materials, and hung beyond the reach
of the Saturday night crowd). Liz has also got Network Rail to mend the
dangerous steps on the Underpass from Canal Terrace to the back of the County
Buildings.
Regent Centre - Unless we can get some improvements there is little
point in entering Scotland in Bloom, because this eyesore will lose us any
chance of any award. Our complaints last year have resulted in improvements to
the litter in the car park, but there are still broken walls, loose stones and
bricks, half dead trees, trodden earth, and tired ground cover in the car park
and the beds within the centre are dull and poorly maintained. The pathetic
border by the bus stop just invites people to walk and cycle over it. The lamp
covers are grimy and the trees are not thriving. The dead one has been cut down,
but so far, no replacement. We sent a dossier of photographs to Tesco. The Area
Manager came from Dundee to have a look and was very shocked, but has made no
headway with E & H Shepherd, who have the maintenance contract and operate
from Aberdeen. We are going to circulate the dossier to the other major chains
that rent premises and also the owners, County Properties, and see if we can get
some action. Meantime, the more people that complain to the businesses in the
Centre, the better.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY HELP?
Anyone with an interest in getting involved can get
in touch with Burgh Beautiful by e-mailing burgh-beautiful@lct.org.uk
|
