Kinnesswood in Bloom
| Entrant Category | Category | Certificate | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Village | Judged | Gold |
Small Village Trophy Community Involvement Award |
Kinnesswood in Bloom(KiB) was formed in 2005. In a typical year the group will:
- Maintain some 10 major project areas.
- Install at least one new feature around the village (from art displays to new public space projects)
- Develop village trails/quizzes often themed on VisitScotland annual theme
- Publicly display artwork/crafts created by locals – again, following their theme for the year
- Raise funds towards their annual running costs and major new projects
- Compete in local, regional and national competitions
- Assist their village school with gardening lessons, food crop growing projects and other outdoor learning activities.
Kinnesswood in Bloom was one of four of our Beautiful Scotland groups who represented Scotland in the 2023 RHS Britain in Bloom UK finals. The group were recognised with a Gold medal certificate, were joint winners of the UK Best Village Award, and won the Children and Young People's Participation Award. Kinnesswood in Bloom's John Nicol was recognised with a RHS Community Champion award. In 2023, the group were also joint winners of the Beautiful Scotland and It's Your Neighbourhood Special Award - Involving Children and Young People, and received a Certificate of Recognition in the Growing Communities Award.
In 2022, Kinnesswood in Bloom won the Beautiful Scotland Discretionary Young People Award: One of the lasting memories of any visit to this Kinnesswood is how they connect with their local primary school. This relationship is not contrived; it matches the current primary school curriculum, and, how gardening with this cohort is delivered by members of the group, is a benchmark for all primary schools to follow. The atmosphere is relaxed and, even though at the time of the judging visit it was the school holidays, the Head Teacher and fifteen or more pupils were there to talk about what they grow, sowing dates, when they harvest them and which ones are their favourites to eat.
In 2021, Kinnesswood in Bloom were joint winners of the Community Involvement Award: Kinnesswood in Bloom involves all ages in the community, whether it’s youngsters through food growing and teaching lessons virtually during lockdown, creative residents through artwork to celebrate the Year of Coasts and Waters, or history buffs through restoration of the local museum’s garden, there’s something for everyone.
