Rock garden star Sandy gets award
Prestigious medal
A Dunblane man has been presented with an award for outstanding service to horticulture.
Sandy Leven received the Queen Mother Medal from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. The award marks the contribution by a nonprofessional.
Sandy has been a mainstay of the Scottish Rock Garden Club, the largest horticultural society in Scotland, for over 30 years.
He devoted a large amount of time to the club, over and above running a dental practice in Dunblane until his retirement a few years ago.
He organised the Stirling Rock Garden show in the Albert Hall for 33 years, continuing when this show moved to Dunblane, and only passing on the role of show secretary when the show moved to Kincardine.
Around 25 years ago Sandy also started the Dunblane Early Bulb Day in February. He continues to act as show secretary and joint organiser for this very successful event, which brings speakers from all over the UK and abroad to a hall full of enthusiasts.
He is a past president of SRGC and has served on the club council for 30 years. In 1993 he was awarded the Golden Jubilee Salver. In 2014 he became an honorary vice president of the SRGC and is currently publicity manager for the club.
He was a main organiser of the club’s early displays at major Scottish garden shows, and is chairman of the steering group for the Alpines 2021 Conference to be held in Perth. Yet Sandy still finds time to be active in his local community and is a past president of the Rotary Club of Stirling.
David Knott, president of the society, said: “Our annual awards recognise the hard work and the exceptional talents of individuals who contribute so much to Scottish horticulture.”