Blairgowrie & Rattray Hub Magazine Summer 2023

Introducing
Rattray Community Garden
You may have noticed lots of activity over the
past few weeks at the new community garden
in Rattray, just off Balmoral Road.
Rattray Community Garden is based in what
used to be a walled garden for Mount Ericht
House and has been home to award-winning
environmental group Blairgowrie and Rattray in
Bloom for a number of years.
The purchase and redevelopment of the
community garden was highlighted as
something local people wanted as part of the
community action plan consultation exercise
carried out in 2020.
When the opportunity arose to buy the land,
the site was secured as a community asset for
the town and then purchased by Blairgowrie
and Rattray Development Trust (BRDT) in 2021
thanks to support from the Scottish Land Fund.
And those behind the redevelopment of the
community garden, which was granted £60,000
from the Scottish Government’s Shovel Ready
fund last year to go towards installing utilities
and other facilities such as paths to ensure it is
accessible for all, greenhouses and raised beds,
are now working to provide a safe and secure
environment for people of all ages that will
make a positive difference to the town.
The aim is to create a welcoming, relaxing area
where local groups can meet, supporting their
health and wellbeing, reducing social isolation,
developing gardening skills, and observing
wildlife.
It will also help facilitate intergenerational
activity and educational sessions, reduce food
poverty by developing and maintaining an
area - including raised beds - to grow fruit and
vegetables for those in need, and increase
biodiversity with careful management and
planting.
Establishing a hub for food production,
education and wellbeing, while contributing
to efforts to achieve net zero, improve the
environmental sustainability of the town and
support the work done by Blair in Bloom, will
benefit the whole community.
As well as the physical work on site, there
has been lots going on behind the scenes as
well, with a new committee being formed to
oversee the management of the garden, and
a new coordinator being recruited to take on
responsibility of the day-to-day operations of
the new facility.
A planting plan for the garden is also being
developed, as is a new dedicated website and
social media pages. And the new committee
will be contacting community groups and
organisations in the area that had previously
expressed an interest in using the garden to see
how they would like to be involved.
Further fundraising is currently under way for
the refurbishment of one of the buildings at the
site to form a general purpose room, toilets and
a small kitchen, and a new storage shed.
And the group is also planning an official
opening event at the garden early in the
summer to showcase the new facilities. Keep
an eye on social media and the Blairgowrie
Advertiser for further details nearer the time.
To find out more about Rattray Community
Garden, including how you can get involved
in supporting the work it is doing or how you
can benefit from the new facilities, follow the
new Facebook page by searching for ‘Rattray
Community Garden’.
Photo by Clare McMicking,
CraicN Communications
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