Communities assessed for green credentials

Two Highland communities will be visited by a Beautiful Scotland ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ assessor to find out how they are faring in their efforts to improve their local environment.

This is the sixth year of the scheme in Scotland, formerly known as ‘Neighbourhood Awards’, which was designed and developed by the Royal Horticultural Society.  The campaign provides an opportunity for smaller community groups to get involved in the wider Beautiful Scotland and Britain in Bloom initiatives. 

In Highland, the It’s Your Neighbourhood assessors will visit Watten Community Council and the Community Flower Festival, Strathcarron.

It’s Your Neighbourhood is ideally suited for volunteer-led community gardening projects or groups, who aim to clean up and green up their local area, whether it is the estate where they live, a piece of communal ground or the space outside a community building.  The campaign is an inclusive, non-competitive scheme which welcomes groups of all shapes and sizes.  It is all about bringing members of the community together to make a positive change to the place where they live, work or spend their leisure time.

There are three main themes, or core pillars as they are known, to the It’s Your Neighbourhood Campaign.  These are:

Groups entering the campaign are visited by an Assessor, who is a volunteer with knowledge / experience of community gardening and environmental issues.  The Assessor’s role is not to judge groups against one another, but to provide helpful feedback and advice on what the group has done and to give ideas and encouragement for the future.  All groups will be awarded with a certificate at the Beautiful Scotland Annual Seminar on 27th October 2010 at the Albert Halls in Stirling.