Gold for Kirkcaldy as Fife towns recognised in Scotland-wide awards

Growing Kirkcaldy celebrated double success at the 2022 Keep Scotland Beautiful awards which were held virtually recently.

There was also recognition for Kinghorn, Cupar and Auchtermuchty for the work put into making their towns look as fantastic as possible.

Growing Kirkcaldy created a Jack Vettriano themed welcome for the judges as they arrived in summer at Kirkcaldy’s War Memorial Gardens - just yards from the exhibition celebrating the very early works of the acclaimed Fife painter.

They then took them on a tour of the town centre to showcase the work being done, and how it linked from the train station to the waterfront.

That earned then a gold medal in the annual awards, and they also scooped the discretionary VisitScotland Award for Tourism.

Kinghorn, Auchtermuchty and Cupar In Bloom all won certificates of recognition in the non-judged category.

In total, the judges assessed 46 entries from 18 local authority areas across Scotland.

It was the first competition run by the charity in association with the Royal Horticultural Society after a two-year pause due the pandemic.

Judith Kerr, secretary of Growing Kirkcaldy, was delighted to hear of the successes, and paid tribute to all the town groups which played their part of showcasing the work going on to improve the environment.

She said: “These awards are all about partnership working.

“We are really delighted that the hard work of our group has been recognised and the support given to us by the grounds maintenance team from Fife Council.

“However the tourism award shows how groups such as the Old Kirk team, Love Oor Langtoun, the Waterfront Development team and Stewart Biggar and the team who look after the rigged garden at Merchant's House are aiming to the future and making people see what Kirkcaldy has to offer.”

Barry Fisher, chief executive with Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We’re in a climate and nature emergency, but we know that communities across Scotland have been working tirelessly to protect and enhance their neighbourhoods, reconnecting with the environment and their communities, and rebuilding after the challenges that the lockdowns posed.”