Coronation Gardens in East Dunbartonshire has been awarded Showcase Centenary Field 2016 status at the Fields in Trust Awards.
The site in Lenzie was one of only eight nationwide awarded the prestigious title by the Fields in Trust, and the only one from Scotland.
The Centenary Fields programme, launched in 2014, is part of an initiative run by the national charity, in partnership with Poppyscotland. It has worked across the UK to secure outdoor recreational spaces in perpetuity to commemorate the World War One centenary and honour the memory of the millions of people who lost their lives during the conflict, by protecting them for the benefit of future generations.
Convener of Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Stewart MacDonald, said, “This award is fantastic news and very well-deserved for everyone involved in this project. I am delighted that the huge amount of work that has gone on locally for such a worthwhile project has been recognised.
“Centenary Fields has given landowners and councils such as East Dunbartonshire the opportunity to create space to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives during World War One.
“The aim of the work we have carried out at Coronation Gardens is to provide a peaceful, attractive open space which is also wildlife friendly. The landscaping has been designed to provide a show of colour and structure throughout the year.
“The Gardens have a number of bedding areas, paths and seats and offers visitors a peaceful area for quiet reflection. It provides a fitting tribute to the sacrifice made by those who served during this tragic conflict and a memorial to all those who lost their lives in war.
"The initiative also ensures that future generations will have valuable green space to enjoy as a living legacy.”
Colin Rennie, Manager, Fields in Trust Scotland, said, “I congratulate East Dunbartonshire Council for being the first local authority in Scotland to protect memorial spaces as Centenary Fields. Coronation Gardens in Lenzie provides an excellent showcase Centenary Field illustrating how this programme can mark the sacrifices made by so many in World War I whilst looking to the future through a living remembrance.
“We look forward to many more landowners across Scotland following the lead of East Dunbartonshire.”
Work in Lenzie ranged from the creation of new herbaceous borders and shrub beds to the planting of specimen trees. In 2014 one of the bedding sites was planted up as a poppy meadow as part of the Council’s World War Commemorations.
A newly designed memorial sculpture depicting growing poppy flowers was created by Iain Chalmers from Chainsaw Creations and an inscribed wooden bench has been installed and the existing walls, which extend around three sides of Coronation Gardens, were also upgraded.
Two sites in East Dunbartonshire are Centenary Fields - Allander Park, including Cloberfield Open Space in Milngavie, as well as Coronation Gardens in Lenzie.
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