Local Rotarians, Men's Shed, 50-plus Ladies Walking Group and Explorer Scouts join forces to brighten town bandstand as part of Keith In Flower
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KEITH is emerging from the pandemic gloom this summer with a show of colour thanks to the combined efforts of local groups as part of Keith In Flower.
Local Rotarians, Men's Shed members, the 50-plus Ladies Walking Group and Explorer Scouts, with support from Moray Council lands and parks staff, have banded together to brighten the town's main thoroughfares.
As well as hanging baskets lining Mid Street, tubs dotted around Reidhaven Square, and displays outside Harry Gow Bakery off the A96, the groups have got to work to revamp the town's tired bandstand area which they hope to restore to its former glory.
They would like to see families enjoying music at the bandstand on sunny days and newlyweds emerging from St Rufus Church opposite posing for wedding pictures there, as they once did.
Over the last two years Keith In Flower has reached out to local groups to pitch in.
Together they raise funds to buy the plants from local growers Dennis Innes and Alan Mair and the helpers plant everything out.
Dave Carson, Keith In Flower chairman and Keith Rotary Club president, urged other local groups to help by taking on a flowerbed.
He said: "It's great to have the community mucking in together. The more the merrier.
"We're really happy the Men's Shed and the Explorer Scouts have joined us. Dennis Innes is a great help as he pre-plants the baskets and helps do the tubs.
"Each shopkeeper who has a hanging basket pays for that, so that's self-funding really. But some of the efforts are not self-funding, like the flowerbeds at the bandstand. That's paid for by us and some of the tubs are paid for by us."
Men's Shed members dug over the flowerbeds at the bandstand, where individual groups have taken charge of maintaining a flowerbed each.
Dennis Reid, of Keith Men's Shed, said: "At one time people would come to the bandstand from the hotel next door and church to have wedding photographs taken – but it's been a bit of an eyesore in recent years.
"Further back in time, silver bands and pipe bands used to play here, and people would sit on the benches on a Sunday afternoon, but that's all disappeared. We'd love to see that coming back."
Dave said the next project at the bandstand would be to fence off an area blighted by a crumbling wall on the east edge.
He said: "Our idea was if we put up a fence there we could try to get distilleries and local artists to brighten that up with pictures, and people could come here as a venue to look at these.
"We are trying to get the community to be proud of what Keith is. If you don't it just disintegrates."
Their efforts were set back recently when vandals wrecked a display at the Square. Two youths have since been charged. Dave said: "We're disappointed but we just have to accept that as a fact of life. We'll have to replant it – this will be the third time."
Reece Mackie, of the Explorer Scouts, said: "We've taken on the planters just across from the memorial and I think we might take on a bed or two at the bandstand as well.
"The plants around the town bring it alive and make it look loved."
Any group keen to get their trowels out to help should contact Dave Carson on 07523 866523.
