Tuesday 20 September 2011

Suntrap Garden

Went to visit the Suntrap Garden at Gogarbank yesterday to meet with a couple of representatives from the Friends of Suntrap group who are campaigning to keep the garden and associated facilities open to the public and the various groups who benefit from the opportunities to learn gardening skills in a fabulous environment. Many of the activities are focussed towards people with learning difficulties who particulalry seem to thrive in this setting. Due to a historical twist, the garden, which was bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland and the old Edinburgh Corporation in 1972 by philanthropist George Boyd Anderson, appears to have ended up in the ownership of Oatridge College and they and the NTS have decided that they can no longer afford to support the facility and wish to sell the site. They may have the legal right to sell but the morality of this move is highly questionable. I feel the Council could play a more active part in this situation and it might be time to rattle some cages.

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