Black Isle scarecrow competition success inspires Avoch and Killen Community Council's open gardens event to go online during Covid-19 coronavirus lockdown
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THE success of a fun scarecrow competition during lockdown has inspired its organisers to push ahead with a special digital open gardens tour next month.
Avoch and Killen Community Council’s open gardens event, which hopes to raise money for its community projects fund and NHS Charities Together, has had to be postponed until 2021 after Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were put in place.
But organisers did not want to let people’s spring gardening efforts go to waste – especially with lockdown encouraging even more people to pick up their plant pots and trowels. And they intend to host an entirely digital event next month as well – with folk getting to enjoy the colourful flora through online tours while raising funds for the causes.
It comes hot on the heels of May’s scarecrow competition, which proved so popular that other Black Isle communities launched contests of their own, helping to raise money for a local museum in the process.
Explaining the new digital open gardens event, a spokesman for the community council said: “We were confident that because of the lockdown the residents of Avoch and Killen would be spending more time than ever working in their gardens and we felt all their hard work should be made available for all to enjoy especially those not lucky enough to have gardens or even access to green spaces at this present time.
“We have asked all the residents of Avoch and Killen to send us pictures and/or short videos of their gardens or even just favourite plants or trees, taken during June and we will create a Virtual Tour of Avoch and Killen Gardens 2020, which will be available online in July to coincide with the original planned date for the Open Gardens – July 25.”
Donations can also be made towards the two causes via the community council website. For details on the event email mary.smyth4@btinternet.com
