Wick picked up a major prize on Monday 12th September 2011 at Keep Scotland Beautiful's prestigious Beautiful Scotland award ceremony in the Pavilion, Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The award was presented by the Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, Derek Robertson, and Scottish actor and comedian, Johnny Beattie.
The award ceremony is the climax of a year of continuous work by local people throughout Scotland and, as well as category awards being presented, gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze medal certificates are also given to the community groups who have worked tirelessly to improve their local environments.
Wick Flower Baskets was presented with the VisitScotland Award for Tourism, and also went home with a Silver medal certificate in the Small Town category.
Michael Russell MSP, Scottish Government Minister, said: "I know that such hard work by all groups involved is well rewarded, not just by getting national recognition, but also by ensuring that one's own town or village is looking its best and reflecting best practice in this modern, greener, world. Everyone who has worked to make their special place even more special deserves the thanks of their fellow citizens and of Scotland because we want the whole country to look as good as possible, and to be as environmentally aware as we can make it. That benefits all of us, draws people to us, and secures a better future."
Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, and master of ceremonies at the Awards said, "Beautiful Scotland celebrates the communities which are working to improve and enhance their local areas through environmental education, community participation, and encouraging litter-free environments as well as horticulture. These awards presented today go some way to recognising all the hard work that volunteers and local authorities put in throughout the year to ensure that visitors and local community members are able to enjoy clean, sustainable and beautiful surroundings."
Wick Flower Baskets was competing with 65 from across Scotland in the 2011 Beautiful Scotland competition and was visited by highly-experienced judges during a national tour in August to discover the cleanest, most sustainable and beautiful community in Scotland. The judges assess three themes, namely: horticultural achievement, environmental responsibility and community participation.
