A Moray community turned out in force at the weekend to help shape the future of their town.
More than 200 residents pinned flags on a drawing of Forres to map out the improvements they would like to see.
By the end of Saturday’s event in the town hall, hundreds of multi-coloured strips of paper covered the image of the town.
The Planning for Real Initiative was set up with Moray Council to prioritise the way Forres residents would like to see their community look by 2020.
Suggestions included making better use of the green surroundings of the town with more woodland paths, orchards and outdoor exercise areas.
Forres 2020 Vision working group member, Samantha Fraser, was thrilled to see a mix of people turn out for the event.
She said: “There were children, teenagers, families and some older people. There was a real broad mix, which is what we were wanting. This is just the first session so we’re still hoping to get to even more people.
“There were lots of interesting ideas. The flags were mainly put in for suggestions around the town centre, which is what we were expecting, and also the woodland areas.
“We had the usual suggestions about litter bins and benches but there were some bigger ambitious ideas too like a crafting centre in the town centre.”
Visitors marvelled at the detailed map after walking into the hall. Some attempted to find their home on the drawing as they considered how they would like Forres to look in four years time.
The group is holding another event in the town next week and is also considering visiting schools to reach youngsters.
Suggestions will then be prioritised before being presented to Moray Council to guide future developments.
Mrs Fraser said: “It’s not possible to take forward all the ideas so we really want to hone in on the main areas that are to be used and put forward.”
Forres 2020 Vision is running another drop-in session for residents to pin their ideas onto the map on Monday, September 12 in the town hall from 5pm to 8pm.
