Carnoustie - Keep Scotland Beautiful

Beautiful Scotland 2013
Carnoustie
Introduction
Carnoustie was established as a burgh in 1895 although the name is Celtic in origin. It
originally formed part of the lands of the church of Barry before being granted to
Balmerino Abbey in 1229. The barony was then gifted to Sir Philip de Valoniis, Lord High
Chamberlain and passed from there to the Maule family through marriage where it
remained for over 700 years before being spilt into separate lots.
Carnoustie Estate was purchased from the Panmure family in 1792. The new owner
offered feuing as enticement to settlers with the first feu being granted to Thomas Louson
who is referred to as ‘the father of Carnoustie’. The village grew from this point and the
introduction of the railway in 1838 brought new industries. It also subsequently prospered
as holiday resort and for many years has enjoyed an international reputation for creating
one of the most challenging links golf courses in the world.
Carnoustie Community Council is committed to building on and enhancing the history and
character of Carnoustie for all those who live in and visit the Town. Thus the portfolio for
the Beautiful Scotland competition has been designed to guide the reader through the
key areas of work that have been undertaken and developed. It will document and show
the way links have been established and support received from the local community,
businesses and other partners. It will focus on three main categories:
- Horticultural Achievement
pages 3 - 4
- Environmental Responsibility pages 5 - 6
- Community Participation
pages 7 - 8
- Newspaper Cuttings
pages 9 - 10
(Supporting Evidence)
Complied by Carnoustie Community Council
June 2013
2
HORTICULTURAL ACHIEVEMENT
The summer ends as it started, wet and cold. The
hanging basket display doesn’t quite fill-out as we had
hoped due to the inclement conditions. Next year we will
select some hardier varieties. Sue and Ed travel through to
Motherwell for the ‘Keep Scotland Beautiful’ awards
ceremony. Great news, once again we have picked up a
Bronze Medal in the Coastal Town category. A fantastic
achievement for the community council and the many
volunteers within the community who have worked
throughout the year to make this possible.
Autumn arrives and Angus Council gardeners have
already stripped the Town’s flower bed displays and ‘battened down the hatches’ for the winter.
Hanging baskets are all taken down and stored away. The Berryfield allotments fall quiet after a
hectic spring and summer, residents give their lawns a final cut and we think about preparing for
the Christmas tree and festive lights switch-on. Attention turns to the War Memorial where two
plaques commemorating Carnoustie’s very own
Victoria Cross recipients Charles Jarvis and George
Samson are due to be re-dedicated. Residents are
thrilled when Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne
arrives to unveil the plaques and spend time
chatting with the assembled crowd. The Town’s
Christmas Tree will again be sited at the War
Memorial and this year we are also planning a street
market with stalls selling a range of merchandise.
Christmas comes and goes and New Carnoustie
Golf Links Superintendent Sandy Reid is hard at
work with a full programme of Winter alterations
and maintenance ahead of his green-keeping staff.
Flooding at the Barry Burn outfall into the course is again causing a major headache and work
begins in an effort to stabilise the banking of the burn.
The long winter turns to Spring with no sign of a let-up in the cold and windy weather. Our
thoughts turn to planning the hanging baskets and planters display for the summer.
It soon becomes clear that Angus Council’s swingeing budget cuts for this year will drastically
affect their planting and maintenance programme for
2013 and beyond. Our worst fears are realised when we
learn that Angus Council will no longer supply any
hanging baskets. The community council are left with no
option but to organise the supply and planting-up of
baskets ourselves. Once again, local resident Mrs Sarah
Paton offers us the use of her large greenhouse and
garden and once again we launch a public appeal for
basket sponsors for a one-off charge of £20. The public
response is magnificent and within a couple of weeks we
have sufficient funds to order lamppost baskets from a
local garden centre and buy all the necessary plants and
materials for our own baskets. Local charity shop, ‘For Carnoustie’ donate a massive £500
towards our appeal and we can proceed in the knowledge that we have enough money to also
upgrade our street planters and still have some left over for watering and maintenance.
3
March and April and Angus Council spruce up the shrubs at the
public car parks adjacent to the Railway Station and the Fairway
Garage and the Black slab. Groundwork teams descend on
Carnoustie House Grounds, Carlogie Park and road verge areas as
spring /summer planting and maintenance gets underway.
Mid May and the cold Spring has put everything back a couple of
weeks. Kirsty and Sue assisted by Ed, spend many a long hour in
the greenhouse planting-up hanging baskets. Begonia is chosen as
we feel it may stand up better to cold windy weather if last year’s
summer is anything to go by! Network Rail supply two new trainshaped planters at Carnoustie railway station and these and existing
floral displays are planted up. Street planter boxes in Station Road
and the High Street are given a ‘spring-clean’ and a coat of
woodstain to see them through the year. Hanging baskets have
been moved out of the greenhouse to the garden to ‘harden-up’. A
local community squad has been mobilised to distribute and erect some 72 hanging baskets on
the last Sunday in June. The past 2 or 3 weeks has seemed more like summer weather with
temperatures reaching as high as 20 degrees.
The War Memorial, a focal-point for many
activities in Carnoustie, begins to flourish as
Angus Council’s planting springs into life. Their
efforts and that of the Royal British Legion local
branch has resulted in Carnoustie War Memorial
winning the accolade of the Royal British Legion
‘Best Kept War Memorial in Scotland’ on three
separate occasions in 1993, 1997 and 2001.
The Berryfield
Allotment is now
a hive of activity
as we move into
June and July and the largest public open space in Carnoustie – the
Golf Links, is in fantastic shape thanks to the efforts of the greenkeeping staff over the winter and
spring period.
Woodlands Caravan Park opens it’s gates to the best of
pitches for touring caravans and tents, its floral displays and
planting providing holiday-makers with a very warm welcome to
the Town.
Meanwhile, the gardens of local residents start to spring into
life as the unseen efforts of ordinary people throughout the
winter and spring are finally rewarded.
4
ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILTY
At the north east entrance to the Town, Carlogie Millennium forest
continues to thrive. Established by Angus Council in 2000 as part of a
nationwide project to restore native woodland, trees including oak, aspen,
birch, hazel and willow are providing a varied
selection of wildlife habitats. Adjacent to the forest,
Carnoustie Links staff, working in conjunction with
Angus Council, have formed a feature green and
bunker in recognition of Carnoustie’s status as a
championship golf venue. Parish records show that
Carnoustie Golf Links has been in existence since the 16th century
and the largest public open space in Carnoustie has seen seven Open Championships played
over the famous links. This area of natural heritage is carefully managed by the Carnoustie
Golf Links Management Committee and the vast
green space has played host to many recent
important environmental management initiatives.
Operation Pollinator, initiated last summer, is
set to help to reverse the plight of the bumblebee,
by creating dedicated areas of vital food sources
and essential nesting habitat for pollinating insects.
The national scheme aims to link up 500 golf
courses across the country in providing an
inspirational new ecological resource by
establishing a wildflower mix especially created for
golf course environments that is not only rich in
pollen and nectar to attract and support insects,
but also looks visually attractive and creates added
interest for players and visitors on the course. Craig
Boath, assistant head greenkeeper, pays a visit to
Woodlands primary school to keep the youngsters up-to
-date with Operation Pollinator and bees in general
before giving the pupils some bee-friendly wildflower
seed to plant. The natural wild gardens tended by
pupils at Woodlands Primary School, along with the
timber-framed outdoor classroom, provide the teachers
and youngsters alike with an invaluable on-site
resource for the teaching and learning of conservation
and biodiversity in 21st Century Scotland. Craig and his
staff are confident of success in this year’s Scottish Turf Research Institute environmental
awards which will be announced next month.
Adjacent to Woodlands Primary, in the former Carnoustie House grounds, the local recycling
centre continues to attract a large array of waste products with the recycling percentage
slightly up on last year. There are other smaller facilities at the Coop supermarket car park in
Station Road and the Craws Nest car park in the west of the Town. A new household waste
recycling trial currently underway in Carnoustie has resulted in residual waste collected from
households going down by some 41% and recycling collected increasing by 52%. This
initiative is set to be rolled-out for the whole Town shortly.
The Berryfield Allotments continues to lead the way with their innovative recycling at the
site and has generously donated surplus seed and plants to the various primary schools in the
Town for use in their gardens.
5
Just off Ferrier Street, the original ‘Dibble Tree’ , a magnificent
crack willow, still stands where it was planted by the first feu owner
and ‘father of Carnoustie’, Thomas Louson in 1797. Many of
Carnoustie’s streets still support a wide variety of mature trees and
despite the pressures of modern-day development, almost everywhere
you walk in the Town, we still have a legacy of Victorian and even
younger planting.
Carnoustie Development Group has been instrumental in
producing a new Carnoustie Heritage Trail leaflet featuring two trails
one short, approx one and a half miles and one long, approx four
miles. The group continues to pursue several environmental initiatives
including the proposed business sponsorship of roundabouts at the entrances to the Town to
enable improvements to be made to their appearance and environmental sustainability, a
review of visitor signage throughout the Town, investigating the provision of new street
signage to incorporate the Town crest, and the provision of a beach-front community café at
the Rugby Club premises.
In January this year, Carnoustie Canine Capers facilitated a community consultation to look
at solutions to the dog-fouling issue in the Town. A locally targeted report has been sent to
Angus Council and a nationally targeted report will be sent to the Scottish
Government. CCC has purchased a template with the “Bag it and Bin it, Leave
only Pawprints “ message and a volunteer paints messages in lead-free
temporary paint at entrances to and pathways within Carnoustie parks. The
Green Dog Walkers initiative is promoted at community events and those who
sign the pledge are given a pack of poo-bags and a GDW ring to hang round
their dog’s neck for identification. Up-dated notices have been posted
throughout the Town and free poo-bags have been distributed to over 50 businesses and the
Golf Course for use by the general public. Poo-bags are purchased with funds raised by the
group and are supplied by CCC key partner, Wallace Vets at cost price. CCC has recently
joined forces with Burnside Primary School in an effort to raise awareness of the
responsibilities where dogs are concerned. At a recent litter clean-up in Pitskelly Park
organised by Angus Council, CCC joined up with P4 where CCC cleared up poo and the pupils
lifted litter. This was followed by a Q & A session at the school coupled with a poster
competition. CCC were invited to the Burnside School sports day where the youngsters
enjoyed fun activities such as ‘guess the dog’s weight’ .
Litter bins along the High street and Dundee Street have been replaced by Angus Council
following concerns raised that bins previously supplied did not fit with our streetscape. Work
has started on the large property at ‘the Cross’ to convert it into new retail units at street
level with a flatted development above. The disruption of current construction work will
hopefully be offset by the provision of a sympathetic development in what is a prime location.
Now a haven of tranquillity, in the 19th century Barry Mill was at
the heart of this small, rural community, providing work and social
opportunities for local people. Until as late as 1982, the mill was still at
work - the last of its kind in Angus - producing oatmeal and finally
animal feed. Now one of Scotland's last working water-powered corn
mills, this is a magnificent example of the country's industrial heritage
and you can learn all about the working of the mill from a real miller.
The machinery freewheels daily and a live demonstration of this disappearing craft is normally
held on Sundays.
6
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Mid September, hanging baskets and street bunting are all taken down and stored away for
the Winter. We plan our Autumn Beach-clean which has been programmed for some time.
This year it’s a Marine Conservation
Society ‘Big Weekend Beach Clean’.
The community council organise
beach-cleans throughout the year
where volunteers of all ages from
local youth organisations, to the notso-young in the community come
along to help collect and bag
unwanted litter, whether it be the
normal flotsam and jetsam or rubbish
left by folks who can’t be bothered
tidying up after them.
Good news reaches us from Keep
Scotland Beautiful, the Town is again
awarded ’The Rural Seaside Award’
for the 2013 bathing season.
Spring is upon us and the response to our public appeal for support with the on-going
hanging basket programme in the Town is fantastic. This coupled with an on-going
commitment from Mrs Paton to provide a community green house and garden area for future
projects is a real boost for the community council. The
hanging baskets purchased from Ashbrook Nursery to
replace those no longer supplied by Angus Council are
delivered and within a couple of hours they are in
place on the lampposts from Station Road to the War
Memorial. Again we worry about how we are going to
transport over 70 hang baskets from Mrs Paton’s
greenhouse to the High Street. As happened last year,
we have several
offers
of
transport
and
help
from
businesses within the Town. Its now just a case of
deciding what suits everyone the best. The donation of
£500 from local charity ‘For Carnoustie’ is the icing on
the cake for everyone. We are now more than
convinced that the community is committed to the
development and sustainability of our local bloom
initiative.
Meanwhile our Spring Beachclean has been and gone and
we now look forward to our Summer Clean-up. This year the
local Cooperative store has offered to sponsor the Summer
Beach Clean with offers of refreshments for all participants
after the event—a luxury unheard of in the past!
7
Carnoustie Canine Capers and Burnside Primary School get
together for what is hopefully the start of a long and productive
relationship. The Pitskelly Park clean-up, organised by Angus Council
sees the class of Primary 4 indulge in some litter pick-up therapy whilst
the CCC deal with the more unpleasant deposits. This hands-on
initiative by Flora, Heather and her colleagues must surely reap
dividends in the future.
The fire that devastated three local businesses late last year also left a scar on the High
Street with the sight of boarded-up shopfronts meeting locals and
visitors alike. Last month, Carnosutie Theatre Club staged a
production of ‘Calendar Girls’ where one of the stage backdrops
potrayed a field of sunflowers. Kirsty had the idea that we could
ask Dibble Tree thespian, Andy Gilbride if he could help with
possibly making the hoarding more presentable. Before we knew
it, Andy had enlisted the help of Dibble Tree stage artist Gerry
Swinley and the result is there for all to see.
The Boys Brigade swing into action when Sue puts out the call for volunteers to paint the
planters at Carnoustie Station. The boys do a great job refurbishing the planters whilst the
small but dedicated group of volunteers who regularly tend to the planters, make sure
everything is in order.
Local would-be philosophers, The ‘Aboukir Grumpies’, continue their plan of local charity
fund-raising and at same time having fun. The group has built a green house in the grounds of
the Aboukir Hotel and are growing flowers, herbs and vegetables to sell throughout the
summer. with all proceeds going to local good causes. Several members of the group also
take part in the recent Community Council ceilidh to raise funds for our hanging baskets.
Speaking of which: The Commuity Council fund-raising
Ceilidh in aid of our hanging basket appeal raised over
£600 bringing together all sections of the community in a
joint effort.
The community council continues throughout the year to
interact and engage with young people and other
community groups in the Town. We have an abundance of
organisations and clubs which cater for many interests and
various events are on-going throughout the year including: local football, rugby, athletics,
bowling, golf, tennis, Carnoustie Musical Society, the Dibble tree Theatre Club and many
more.
8
NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS
Painting over the cracks
Published on 15/06/2013 6.00
A Carnoustie social group presented local causes with another
series of cheques from money raised at a recent garden sale.
On Monday at The Aboukir Hotel, the Aboukir Grumpies presented three cheques from money raised at at garden sale on
June 2nd. The groups benefiting were the local Cts Protection
League, Macmillan Cancer Support and Carnoustie Community Helpline.
Published on 28/06/2013 12:00
A fire-ravaged part of Carnoustie High Street got a lick of
paint as the town prepares for the arrival of a national
civic beauty contest.The boarded up shells of the former
laundry, grocer and fishmonger which burned down in
January benefited from a colourful sunflower motif, just in
time for the arrival of the Keep Scotland Beautiful judges
next month.The work was carried out by two members of
Carnoustie Theatre Club, Andy Gilbride and Jerry
Swinley.Carnoustie Community Council chairman Jim
Simpson explained how it came about: “A boarded up
shop front in the High Street wouldn’t be good for the
competition and after seeing Carnoustie Theatre Club’s
production of ‘Calendar Girls’ we thought we could paint
a mural of sunflowers there.“There’s three categories, horticulutral achievement, environmental responsibility and
community participation.“Basically the categories are all
marked by the judges and I have to supply a portfolio and
then the judges come along and mark everything.”This
year the community council has shouldered even more of
the burden. Jim said: “Last year Angus Council supplied
20 or so hanging baskets and we supplied the remainder
with money from businesses and individuals. However,
this year with all the cutbacks Angus Council is not doing
any hanging baskets and we are supplying them all and we
have had a big response from the public again.“We’d like
to think we could improve on our bronze medal last year.
The community council has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes with Angus Council, making sure that
things picked up on last year don’t happen again.”
Blooming Brilliant
Published on 29/12/2012
Carnoustie Community Council, last week received a
Bronze Medal in the ‘Coastal Town’Category of the
annual Scotland in Bloom competition.
The formal award ceremony was held in Motherwell
Civic Centre. On Tuesday, several members displayed
the award at the local Access Office in Carnoustie. Pictured are from left—Sue MacMahon, Francis Webster
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Published on 19/10/2012 06:00
Published on 20/06/2013 16:37
Carnoustie Beach Clean next Sunday
THE CARNOUSTIE Development Group
has taken over the running of the Christmas
Fayre from the Business Association,
which closed earlier in the year.
Peter Burke, chairman, said: “We are
pleased to continue what has now become a
firm fixture in Carnoustie at Christmas
time. In addition to the usual 40 or so stalls
in the three halls on Saturday, December 1,
we have been invited by Carnoustie Community Council to hold a mini-fayre on the
evening of November 30, when the lights
and tree ceremony will be held next to the
War Memorial.
“We hope to have half a dozen or so stalls,
plus hot food available from mobile vendors and the local shops. This is a great
example of the two organisations working
together to promote the town for both residents and visitors alike.”
Application forms for both the Friday and
Saturday fayres are available from the
Fobel Shop, Park Avenue, or via e-mail at
fobel.carnoustie@hotmail.co.uk.
The group has published a new 16-page
brochure packed with facts, and interesting
things to see and do in the Carnoustie area.
Mr Burke explained: “The tourism subcommittee, consisting of development
group members, accommodation providers,
golf clubs, the Carnoustie Links, and our
Angus Council local community planning
team, has worked long and hard to produce
this splendid brochure.
Eager volunteers from The Co-operative Group and Carnoustie Community Council will be heading to the beach at Carnoustie next Sunday, June 30, on a mission to clean up litter.
Colleagues from branches of The Co-operative Food, The Cooperative Pharmacy and The Co-operative Funeralcare, as well as Co
-operative Group members, and their families, will join forces with
the community council to help clean up the beach.
Organiser Ken Greenshields, membership officer for The Cooperative Group in Eastern Scotland, said: “The Co-operative plays
an important role in the communities it serves, and by getting together with the community council for a simple activity like this we
can benefit the local area.
“We’ll be taking harmful and unsightly rubbish off the beach, and
away from the sea, contributing directly to the wellbeing of the local
community.”
He concluded: “Once we’ve finished the beach should look better
and be safer for everyone to enjoy, and we intend to have some fun at
the same time.”
Published on 20/07/2012 06:00
MEMBERS of Carnoustie Community Council have thanked a local
resident for making the town’s hanging baskets possible.
Mrs Sarah Paton has been allowing the community council use of her
garden and greenhouse to make and plant the hanging baskets which
are displayed in the centre of town.
And this week council members Kirsty MacDonald, Ed Oswald and
Sue McMahon visited Mrs Paton to present her with a small gift as a
token of appreciation.
Community council chairman Jim Simpson added: “Basically the project has been been a successful initiative supported at every stage by
local volunteers and sponsors.
“Ross Smyth made a significant financial contribution and Austin
Myers led an educational demonstration on how on plant the baskets
and then worked alongside community council members to produce
over 50 hanging baskets.
“Carnoustie Community Council very much hope that the baskets will
be a colourful addition to town and will be enjoyed by local residents
as well as visitors.”
“Copies have been distributed to our local
accommodation providers and are also
available in Carnoustie Library, the Access
office on High Street, and from the Fobel
Shop.”
10
Jim Simpson, Carnoustie CC