Blooming lovely
Floral baskets brighten up Main Street
Cambuslang Main Street is awash with colour this week after receiving the next stage of its floral makeover.
The Greening the Main Street programme, run by Cambuslang Community Council, saw 15 large street planters filled with an array of flowers, while over 60 hanging baskets were hung outside shops on the busy thoroughfare.
A team of volunteers from the new Cambuslang in Bloom group - a partnership between the community council and Cambuslang Allotments - worked for several days to fill the street planters with a variety of perennial and annual plants.
Each of the large planters has been ‘adopted’ by a business on the Main Street and the majority of shops have also offered to host and look after a hanging basket.
Stephen McDermott, pharmacist at Leslie Chemist, said: “The Main Street looks a lot better with all the plants . We will make sure our planter and baskets are well looked after”.
Linda Wallace, coordinator of Cambuslang in Bloom, said: “This project has overwhelming support from all sections of the community.
“During the big planting, the volunteers were congratulated and encouraged by members of the public and local businesses. Passers-by were delighted to see their local shopping street given a makeover with many stopping to offer help.”
Hilda Allison, member of the community council and Cambuslang in Bloom, said: “There is other planting still to come. Local businesses are continuing to sign up to the hanging basket scheme. We will also be installing barrier baskets on the railings and creating a new plant bed on the north side of the Main Street over the coming weeks.”
John Bachtler, treasurer of Cambuslang Community Council, said: “The response from the community has been fantastic. We started off with a small core team, and it has grown to over 25 volunteers who have joined Cambuslang in Bloom to offer several hours a month to look after the plants. It’s a great example of what can be achieved when the community works together.
“In last year’s Cambuslang Community Council Community survey, local business and residents made it clear that the Main Street must improve: the planting is just the first stage, and we need to go on to address other issues such as the bins and parking problems as well”.
Cambuslang in Bloom has received a wealth of support from James and Scott Stevenson of the Urban Alfresco Garden Centre, who identified, sourced, transported and helped install plants used in the project.
George Bruce and his team from the First Steps Future Training charity also made a major contribution, fixing all the brackets for hanging baskets.
Greening the Main Street is funded by a £35,000 grant won by Cambuslang Community Council from the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Communities Capital Fund.
People interested in joining Cambuslang in Bloom should email cambuslangbloom@ aol.com