Best Kept Village

[Silvercloud]

Hi,

 

Just wondering does Shetland take part or does any Best Kept Village competitions etc ?

 

Just openly thinking it would be nice to do this kind of thing encourage communties to take part, and help make areas look nice and tidy and perhaps encourage and challenge a few more gardeners perhaps too etc.

 

Is this something that is done here/encouraged or not ?

[unlinkedstudent]

There's always cliques on committees that end up going to obsessive ends to get their own ways wherever I've seen these take place elsewhere in the UK. These things divide communities half the time. You have folks not wanting to take part, for whatever reason (might not be able to afford plants, etc.) and then everyone else carps on about "Oh, you're letting the side down".

 

If someone wants to have a rusty old tractor/whatever on their land causing no harm to anyone, it's their business. Likewise, if they want long grass which may be pleasing on the eye to them, let them.

 

I've never heard of any such competitions up here and hope it stays that way.

[Silvercloud]

It was just a thought thats all.

[MJ]

Silvercloud, someone seems to have got out of the wrong side of bed this morning. There did used to be a garden comp in Lerwick, don't know if it still happens, but we used to love looking at some of the entries as bairns (long afore the grumpy one came up fae foreign shores).

[unlinkedstudent]

Silvercloud, someone seems to have got out of the wrong side of bed this morning. There did used to be a garden comp in Lerwick, don't know if it still happens, but we used to love looking at some of the entries as bairns (long afore the grumpy one came up fae foreign shores).

 

A garden competition is somewhat different to the best kept village though, isn't it? There's no pressure on anyone to participate apart from those who want to.

 

No doubt if Silvercloud is keen enough, she'll look into organising something, as is her perogative.

[Silvercloud]

Hi,

 

Thankyou MJ , I just thought it might be quite nice, I know it not to everyone taste, I remember taking part in one many years ago and those that wished to take part quite enjoyed it and it wasn't taken too seriously and certainly didn't divide the local community then.

You could have different themes that could be judged and children could help too either with someone elses garden or elderly person garden whom might be glad of hand and the company or their own garden or community garden .

 

The gardens don't necessaily have to have lots of plants or necessaily lots of money spent on it ,it what you managed to create or do perhaps.

 

It was just idea and bit of fun for those that perhaps like the gardening, or pottering or just being a bit creative in gardens .

It was just an idea for Summers

[Silvercloud]

It was just ideas I was throwing up okay, perhaps I should have wrote ,Best kept Village, open garden, etc etc .

[mitzy]

There is still a garden competition in Lerwick and I have a feeling that Vidlin and also Voe have competitions for best kept gardens too. Usually advertised in the Shetland Times. Voe has a large garden group and they have a sale each year in the hall.

 

Best Kept Village sounds like a lovely thought. I know that business partcipate in the Tidy Scotland Business Awards which were changed to Shetland Awards last year. Dont suppose they will be continuing in the cutbacks.

[Frances144]

There are Open Garden days in the summer for some truly outstanding gardens.

 

Silvercloud, I think your's is a wonderful idea and should be encouraged. Or even proposed to the Community Councils to take further. I, for one, love photographing gardens and their flowers.

 

I suppose the next question is how can we make this work?

[paulb]

apart from the odd place like wass and aith most communities are more spread out than your typical english village. there were some really nicly done up villages in derbyshire. there well dressings were impressive to.

[shetlandpeat]

Garstang is a good example of a best kept village, in taking part, the residents have managed to get things done to improve much of what can be seen. It also got them to work together as a community and they now have a big say in how things are done in respect of councils and so on.

We ran a garden themed day here, it was fantastic with over 80 visitors to our community garden and 2 or 3 more volunteers.

We did have the moaners, it as ever were the same old faces. Just ignored them, one or two did finally get into the spirit of it all and joined in.

 

There may be grants available to start this, there may also be money from the Big Lottery, there is a Scottish Communities Fund, if that has stopped, I am sure there are others. We have found the council will hand over land to groups who want to make something of it, it saves them cutting the grass, they may as well give a little funding and help.

 

Good luck to anyone forwarding this idea, starting with gardens is a good start, get the momentum going.

[Silvercloud]

Hi,

 

I was thinking keeping it very low key, fun not being too competitive and not too much time taken setting up as that put some people off, perhaps where people did things in their own gardens and during one or two days during the Summer people either come around look at the gardens or something similar maybe judge them in some way under different themes but keeping it simple and fun.

 

Maybe encourage people to try different things/ideas in their gardens not necessaily with just plants and will get people out into garden more.

Maybe people may have made small corner or area of their garden nice or children patch , and may want to inspire others or share ideas , I don't know, just ideas.

 

Whether indvidual villages do this or a group villages or split up areas etc not sure but its need to be simple, fun and not too serious .

My garden is still a building plot at the moment with building work in progress , so I have long way to go just yet and time limited as we are doing selfbuild ourselves no builders .

I wasn't necessaily thinking immediately this year .

I was just interested whether there was open garden days , best kept village, or fun competition things here already.

 

It's nice to see some may see potential in such ideas .

[Frances144]

There are definitely open garden days. I am not sure why I know this and now I am wondering whether I imagined it. You sometimes see in the paper which gardens are open and when. (I am not a reliable source btw)

[Malcolm]

Garstang is a good example of a best kept village, in taking part, the residents have managed to get things done to improve much of what can be seen. It also got them to work together as a community and they now have a big say in how things are done in respect of councils and so on.

We ran a garden themed day here, it was fantastic with over 80 visitors to our community garden and 2 or 3 more volunteers.

We did have the moaners, it as ever were the same old faces. Just ignored them, one or two did finally get into the spirit of it all and joined in.

 

There may be grants available to start this, there may also be money from the Big Lottery, there is a Scottish Communities Fund, if that has stopped, I am sure there are others. We have found the council will hand over land to groups who want to make something of it, it saves them cutting the grass, they may as well give a little funding and help.

 

Good luck to anyone forwarding this idea, starting with gardens is a good start, get the momentum going.

 

 

 

We used to drive through Garstang quite often (once or twice a month) and drove extra slow to take in the lovely well kept gardens, even had the odd picnic on the grass by the river in the middle of the village.. One thing to come out of everyone (or nearly) taking part in keeping the village very well kept was that the house prices rose and there were more village orientated events that were always well attended.