Judges tour Kirkcaldy to assess town centre’s Beautiful Scotland entry

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Kirkcaldy town centre came under the expert eye of judges from Beautiful Scotland last week as the town set out its bid for more accolades.

A golden medal winner in 2022, the Lang Toun was spruced up to it look its best – and the sun shone for the inspection which took in a vast swathe of the town centre, showcasing the green landscape we perhaps take for granted.

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Volunteers from Growing Kirkcaldy had two and a half hours to not only showcase the work which has gone into improving the environment, but give the judges a chance to hear from the people who put in the work from the war memorial gardens to the waterfront.

The theme of this year’s competition is ‘celebration and cakes’ so the volunteers were able to tap into a number of landmark anniversaries, from the forthcoming centenary of Kirkcaldy Galleries to the 200th anniversary of the RNLI and the plans for the 250th anniversary of the publication of Adam Smith’s Wealth Of Nations.

Growing Kirkcaldy volunteers welcome the Beautiful Scotland judges to Kirkcaldy (Pic: Cath Ruane)Growing Kirkcaldy volunteers welcome the Beautiful Scotland judges to Kirkcaldy (Pic: Cath Ruane)
Growing Kirkcaldy volunteers welcome the Beautiful Scotland judges to Kirkcaldy (Pic: Cath Ruane)

The judges also assessed the group’s efforts based on Beautiful Scotland’s three pillars – horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.

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Judith Kerr, from Growing Kirkcaldy, said: “We used to enter for the whole team, but after lockdown, we decided to concentrate on the town centre category, and we won gold in 2022.”

The judges began their trail at the war memorial gardens where, two years ago, they recreated a Jack Vettriano scene to catch the judges’ eye.

From there, the entourage set off in the direction of the newly re-opened Volunteers Green following its £800,000 make-over. They also took in the Old Kirk in Kirk Wynd, Nicol Street, Greener Kirkcaldy’s East Fergus Place base, and the Town Square - where flower beds are looked after by an adult education group - finishing in the Merchants’ Quarter.

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Working on flower beds on The Prom (Pic: Submitted)Working on flower beds on The Prom (Pic: Submitted)
Working on flower beds on The Prom (Pic: Submitted)

Volunteers also had the opportunity to talk about working with key organisations such as Love Oor Lang Toun, Fife Council, and the Adam Smith Global Foundation.

Added Judith: “The judges were able to meet a lot of people who are all part of keeping the town green which was important because the awards look at how aware we are of the community and what is needed.”

Beautiful Scotland is run by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and is part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom campaign.

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Juliette Camburn, senior officer, community initiatives at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “This time of the year is so exciting as our volunteer judges prepare to visit our wonderful family of groups all over the country.

“Every year we are blown away by the dedication, passion and determination of our groups to improve their local environment, not only for themselves and the people who live there but for visitors from across the world and for our wildlife too.”

The judges departed with a positive vision of the Lang Toun, and the work going into improving as much of its environment as possible, but he volunteers will have to wait to hear their scoreboard.

Results of the competition are not announced until a celebration event in Aberdeen on September 9.

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