An army of volunteers are breathing fresh life into a “neglected” Perth community.
An operation is underway to spruce up parts of Bridgend, following repeated calls for regeneration from businesses and residents.
Locals complained that the area – which has been blighted by flooding problems -was in need of improvements after flats were demolished and crumbling walls collapsed.
Local charity Beautiful Perth took over the Back Wynd car park four years ago and has been working to transform it.
To mark Learning Disability Week, the group teamed up with Turning Point Scotland to tidy up the site, prune back shrubs and spread fresh bark on beds.
Beautiful Perth chairman John Summers said: “We adopted the site back in 2012 and since then we’ve done a complete refurbishment of the shrubbery, transforming this busy road junction.
“The work our volunteers have done over the past four years has made a huge difference to the area and I’m very proud of this project.”
He said: “We were delighted to welcome staff and service users from Turning Point Scotland to join us this year to tidy the car park and refresh the shrub beds.
“They are a great bunch and I hope we can work together on this and other projects in future.”
Turning Point’s Simon Humphrey added: “We’re all really happy to get involved with Beautiful Perth during Learning Disability Week. Making a positive contribution to the local community is a great way to celebrate who we are and what we do.
“At the moment, we are developing our own garden area and service so it’s important to make links with other community groups – and maybe even hone our newly learned horticultural skills.”
A vision for the future of Bridgend was discussed at a series of public meetings in 2014. The talks were led by a team from 7N Architects and were coordinated by Perth and Kinross Council and the Bridgend, Gannochy and Kinnoull Community Council.
They were called after residents raised concerns that the area had lain neglected for too long.
Beautiful Perth is behind a series of projects aimed at making Perth a more attractive place to stay, visit and invest. These include regular litter picks and environmental schemes.
