Burgh Beautiful Progress Report - March 2010
2010 is shaping up to be a successful year for Burgh Beautiful, after recovery from some difficulties now resolved. Last summer’s achievement of a Silver Award from Beautiful Scotland was an encouraging basis for this year’s entry, and thanks are extended to all who were involved.
As members will be aware, a well-attended special meeting of the Civic Trust on 29 October 2009 decided that the Burgh Beautiful campaign would remain as an integral part of the Trust. The campaign’s steering group was immediately strengthened in numbers, electing Ron Smith as chairman, John Carswell as vice-chairman and Chris Long as secretary. Other members include Sheila Ashby, Liz Burrows, Hazel Duguid, Chantal Hamill, Tom Kerr, Eileen Murray and Tony Oxbrow. However, an open invitation remains for others to join the group, its subsidiary planting group or participate in planting projects – Burgh Beautiful is particularly interested in attracting people who can improve liaison with community, ecological and business groups.
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Hopefully this year will see a repeat of last year's successful display at the town entrance in Blackness Road.
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The new Civic Trust/Burgh Beautiful logo which will accompany the floral hanging baskets being sponsored and organised by the campaign for summer 2010 |
The revitalised Burgh Beautiful was immediately focussed on fund raising, with a particularly successful Advent Fair raffle on 28 November amassing £925.91. Particular thanks are due to Liz Burrows for all her hard work in organising the raffle and to all involved in donating prizes, baking, selling tickets, buying tickets, etc.
A register of all significant planted areas in the town, identifying maintenance responsibility, is now maintained, and Burgh Beautiful’s 2010 plant requirements have been ordered via the Council in order to achieve economies of scale. Burgh Beautiful is funding the planting and installation of 50 of this summer’s floral hanging baskets in St Ninian’s Road, the west end of the High Street and at Low Port/Blackness Road, at a finally-agreed cost of £1,250, and this sponsorship will be marked and publicised by logo discs between the baskets, kindly funded by Provost Tom Kerr’s disbursement. Hazel Duguid is congratulated for making the necessary arrangements for the provision of the baskets with South Logie Nursery, as well as for offering her garden as a distribution point for the bedding plants to be delivered by Pentland Plants at the end of May. We are also taking on the co-ordination of community sponsorship of the baskets over future winter and summer seasons, and local groups, businesses and individuals are asked to consider sponsoring baskets at around £50 per pair.
This year’s community landscaping/planting scheme at Preston Road (adjacent to Deanburn Park) is being progressed by Tony Oxbrow who has reached agreement with the Council on siting, and provisionally with Donaldson’s School on involvement. At the other end of the town, the Rotary Club of Linlithgow Grange is about to revamp its raised bed at the corner of Blackness Road and Springfield Road.
Forthcoming Burgh Beautiful events for the diary are as follows:
- Linlithgow Clear-up Event on the morning of Saturday, 24 April (co-ordinator: Chris Long), in liaison with Cittaslow and other local groups. Litter in seven areas of the town will be tackled, followed by a rendezvous at the Regent Centre where Greggs have kindly volunteered to provide food. Potential volunteers should contact Chris on 843461.
- Dog Show on Saturday, 8 May – this is being co-ordinated by Kirsty Leonard, with an extensive programme in place. Again, more volunteers are required to help – please contact Kirsty on 848427.
- Plant Sale at The Cross – the usual early summer sale is scheduled for Saturday, 29 May.
- Community Planting Event at Preston Road (as above) – this will take place sometime in June, and will be publicised through the Linlithgow Gazette nearer the time – in the meantime, those interested in participating, perhaps by bringing along some bedding plants, should contact Tony Oxbrow on 203153.
As always, Burgh Beautiful seeks new volunteers and new ideas for improving the town. If you are tempted to lend a hand, why not contact me, Chris Long or anyone else involved?
Ron Smith
Chairman, Burgh Beautiful
12 March 2010
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