Gardening royalty Bill Torrance has backed a campaign to raise awareness of the wonders of Dundee’s Botanic Gardens.
The former Beechgrove Garden presenter visited the gardens for the first time in 20 years and revealed that he believed the facility was Dundee’s “wee gem”.
Bill’s visit to Dundee saw him lend his support to a campaign which aims to secure the long-term future of the city’s Botanic Gardens.
The Botanic Garden Endowment Trust is working to secure the sustainability of the facility as a place for people to enjoy and as an educational resource.
Whilst he is keen to do anything he can to ensure the gardens continue to flourish, Bill believes more needs to be done to promote the facility to ordinary Dundonians.
He told The Courier: “What amazes me is that a lot of folk in Dundee have never been.
“The majority of the population maybe don’t know exactly where the Botanic Gardens are, or what it’s for.
“Maybe they think it’s just for intellectuals-not at all.
“I think we should fly the flag more and get more people in the gates.
“It’s a breathing lung for the city.
“We need to let more people from Dundee and the surrounding areas know what a wee gem of a garden this is.”
Bill’s words were echoed by the President of the Royal Horticultural Society, Sir Nicholas Bacon.
Sir Nicholas said: “I think the Botanic Gardens are absolutely vital.
“As more and more people live in urban areas the idea that you can get into a green space within an urban area is really important.
“Here you can walk from the Mediterranean into Asia and through Asia into the Far East without even leaving Dundee.”
Gordon Ramsay, Trust Development Officer for the Botanic Garden, added: “We have been delighted to welcome Sir Nicholas to the Garden and receive his support for our ongoing fundraising campaign that will secure the long-term future of this magnificent space.”
