Judges from Beautiful Scotland were in Aberdeen on Friday to tour the many green spaces and public parks within the city.
Starting at Duthie Park Ranger Station, judges Alison Anderson and Adrian Miles were given a semi-virtual tour of those hoping to impress with their green fingers.
Due to Covid restrictions, the competition has had to adapt and there are limits to how many people were allowed to view specific green spaces at any one time.
Video footage from community groups, the Lord Provost and the council leader were shown to the judges to make sure everyone was included.
The tour included visits to the Clan Centre, Victoria Park, Union Terrace Gardens finshing at the spectacular viewing point at Cathedral Walk in Seaton Park.
Beautiful Scotland is now more focused on environmental responsibility and community involvement
Beautiful Scotland is a long-running environmental improvement programme which is run in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) under the Britain in Bloom campaign.
Winners of the Beautiful Scotland award then go on to compete in the Britain in Bloom along with several other regions across the UK.
Scotland has been very successful having been crowned Champion of Champions four times from 2006-2019 with a win coming from the small town of Alness in the Highlands.
Beautiful Scotland supports groups across Scotland as they seek to improve and enhance their local environment. The original aim of the programme, which has been running for over 50 years, was to promote horticultural achievement through gardening and landscaping.
However in recent years due to climate change, Beautiful Scotland is now more focused on environmental responsibilty and community involvement. Community groups who participate in joint projects are welcomed.
The Lord Provost of Aberdeen Barney Crockett said: “It’s been wonderful to welcome the judges to Aberdeen and I hope they’ve enjoyed the virtual meeting of some of the people who are involved in making our city look green and beautiful.
“We have a fantastic track record in both the Beautiful Scotland and Britain in Bloom awards over the decades and in recent years, we’ve won gold, the city category, and reached the finals of the Champion of Champions last year.
“The community groups and City Council staff have done a wonderful job of ensuring our parks and green spaces are at their best even with the warm and dry summer we’ve had and particularly with the difficulties due to coronavirus.”