A buzz about bloom campaign
Pupils learn about bees while planting
School pupils got their hands dirty to help Beautiful Perth volunteers create the vibrant annual floral display outside Perth Leisure Pool.
Based on an outdoor environmental classroom and with the theme ‘trees, bees and birds’, the installation includes a table and seats made from reused large cable reels and native Scottish apple trees planted in gabion baskets – which are also being made into ‘bug hotels.’
The trees have been sourced locally and include varieties like ‘Lass of Gowrie’.
Youngsters from 11 Fair City schools – nursery, primary and secondary-aged children – pitched in to plant floral favourites of many colours, echoing the logo of the ‘Perth is the Place’ campaign for the
Mr Swinney during Saturday’s official opening city of culture bid.
Members of the Perthshire Beekeepers’ Association were on hand to demonstrate their craft and tell the fascinating story of bees and their importance in pollination.
John Summers, chairman of the volunteer-run Beautiful Perth, said: “This is a fantastic project for our volunteers.
“We love working with the children, who bring such enthusiasm to everything they do!
“It’s also a great partnership project for us, and we’re very grateful to everyone who is helping out.
“Our thanks go to BT Openreach and Maccaferri who donated the reels and gabion baskets, to Perth and Kinross Council’s Community Greenspace and Community Payback teams for their support and to the beekeepers who gave up their own time to tell the children – and us somewhat older participants – all about their craft.”
John added: “And, of course, huge thanks to the children, teachers and parents without whom none of this would happen.”
Appropriately given the birds in the theme, progress was tracked on Twitter using tweets bearing the hashtag #perthpoolplanting.
The apple trees were sourced from Plants for a Purpose and Appletreeman in Bankfoot.