The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Award-winning beaches fly the flag for excellence
Tayside and Fife boast golden sands
Beaches across Courier Country have once again been named as some of the best kept in Scotland.
Stretches of golden sand in Fife, Angus and Dundee have been recognised for providing high standards to visitors in the Scottish Beach Awards, organised by environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.
Broughty Ferry, Easthaven, Elie, St Andrews and Crail are among the 22 local, and 60 Scottish, beaches which have been awarded a flag for excellence. St Andrews West and Gullane sands have won the flag for a 25th year in a row.
Lunan Bay in Angus was an addition to this year’s list, while Fife had the highest number of award-winning beaches in Scotland, with 15.
Broughty Ferry councillor Kevin Cordell said it was important to recognise the importance of the beach to the area’s economy.
He said: “A lot of hard work goes in to keeping the Ferry beach to the highest possible standards, from making sure the sands are swept free of litter in the summer to providing enough bins for dog walkers.
“The flag of excellence is a distinction which keeps people coming back to the beach, from all over Scotland, and helps the local economy by bringing visitors in.”
The flags will fly from the beginning of June and serve as a quality benchmark for visitors and beach users, according to Keep Scotland Beautiful.
The awards work in conjunction with a programme rolled out by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, who monitor the quality of bathing water.
Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Going to the beach is a tradition that we want to continue, while protecting this valuable environment.”