New look blooms for Turriff volunteers
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A group of hardworking Turriff volunteers are leaving the pandemic with a fresh lease of life, a new name and a new look.
Turriff Town Pride Group was set up in 2002 by a keen group of volunteers who wanted to ensure visitors to the town could enjoy beautiful floral displays around the town.
Over the years this task has grown as more displays have been added to cover the length of the bypass as well as the town centre, and the hard work of the volunteers is commended in the annual Formartine In Bloom competition.
As they approach their 20th anniversary the group have rebranded as Turriff In Bloom to help people understand the work that they do, after realising that many people were unfamiliar with the work of Turriff Town Pride Group.
To accompany their rebranding the group have created a logo which is used on vests and on their front of their new water cart.
The idea for the branded vests came about when it became apparent that many people thought they were Aberdeenshire Council employees because they wore high-visibility clothing when on duty.
The new jackets will make it easier for people to know who they are and see the variety of tasks carried out by the group around the town.
The group were busy fundraising for a new water cart in the run up to the pandemic after their previous one was reaching the end of its life, and having thankfully secured enough money have bought one which is now branded and ready for action.
The new water cart holds more water than their old one and means that volunteers should now be able to tend to all floral displays without needing to refill the cart part way through their route.
The group are now preparing for this year's displays and are delighted with the support they have received from local businesses.
It was another boost for the group when they learned that Aberdeenshire Council had reversed the decision to not provide communities with plants again this year.
Volunteer John Smith said: "We have really been very lucky with the support which we have received from the local businesses.
"We undertsand that this is a really difficult time for everyone, especially our businesses, but we even have businesses this year who have signed up that have never had a hanging basket before.
"It's really good to see so much support for the work that we do.
"Turriff Town Pride Group started in 2002, but the SWI did the job before then - it's a really good thing for the community."
The launch of Turriff In Bloom was also the first official outing for Coo Corner's new awning.
The canopy can be booked through Turriff Business Association by community groups to provide a sheltered space for performances, fundraising or information distribution.
Anybody wanting to find out more or to book the canopy, which will be available from June 18 onwards, should contact Yvonne Milne at yvonne.milne@btinernet.com or by messaging either the Turriff Business Association or The Only Way Is Turriff Facebook pages.
