Lauder in Bloom Lauder wins gold at Beautiful Scotland Awards

Volunteers in Lauder are celebrating having retained a top national award for their efforts in keeping the town clean, tidy and blooming all year round.

Lauder In Bloom were named winners in the large village category of this year’s Beautiful Scotland Awards, which they won for the first time last year in their first time of entering.

They gathered alongside other community groups, local authorities and businesses from across Scotland in Haddington last Thursday for the annual awards, organised by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.

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The team, which formed four years ago, was praised for its efforts in community involvement and promoting environmental responsibility, as well as its commitment to creating its own compost with waste donated from the town’s businesses.

Lauder In Bloom secretary Ray Theedam Parry said: “This is down to a vast amount of effort on everybody’s part. With it being such a dry summer the amount of watering we have had to do has been extraordinary. Thankfully we have a much wider team that helps with watering, and everybody really pitched in.

“We really want to thank our sponsors as well and everybody who pays for the hanging baskets on the streets, as they looked wonderful this year.

“But we do needs more help and would welcome any new pairs of hands. They don’t need to be experienced gardeners, complete novices would be very welcome too.”
Anyone interested in joining the group can email: lauderinbloom@gmail,com or head along to the group’s AGM on Monday, October 1 at 7pm in the Lauderdale Hotel.

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Eyemouth Enhancement Group also received a silver in the small town category in its first year of entering.

The group was commended for building effective links with community groups resulting in colourful town centre displays.

The awards celebrated the work of communities Scotland-wide in helping to improve the places they care for.

Pete Leonard, operations director of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Now in its 52nd year, Beautiful Scotland continues to provide the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Scotland’s volunteers, local authority staff and businesses and to recognise the tireless efforts of communities across the country who work to clean up, green up and beautify Scotland’s villages, towns and cities.

“I would like to commend the groups from the Borders for their fantastic work. It is thanks to their efforts that local spaces and places they treasure are maintained to such high standards.”