Golden day for Stonehaven after coastal resort award

A COASTAL town in Aberdeenshire has been awarded gold status by Beautiful Scotland.

Stonehaven won the award in the coastal resort section at the yearly awards ceremony.

Beautiful Scotland judges said Stonehaven was “a pleasant coastal town” and praised the Horizon group for its work which had “enhanced the town and makes it a most pleasant place to visit”. The award was the culmination of five years of hard work by the Horizon Project team.

Project chairman Allan Cairnduff later said: “I am delighted for each and every member of my small but dedicated group who have contributed so much towards this honour.

“Our floral displays and gardens, our innovative watering system and our continued efforts to keep the town litter-free all gained us valuable points in the competition.”

He added: “The award, however, is presented to the town of Stonehaven and, although Horizon has been the driving force behind it, we would not have attained it without the help of many people in our community.”

Pitmedden won a special endeavour award for the work carried out in the village.

Inverurie won a silver medal in the medium town category.

The three communities were visited by experienced assessors during a national judging tour in August to discover the most clean, sustainable and beautiful community in Scotland.

The judges assessed under three criteria: horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.

The awards were announced on Monday at a ceremony at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom.