SUPPORTERS of Geilston Garden in Cardross have described their delight at how popular the attraction has been since it welcomed its first visitors of the year last month.
With the gardens open again for visitors since July 6 – with all the precautions now required for safe social gatherings – the Friends of Geilston are now making a final appeal this week for entries to their annual photography competition.
The garden was one of the first visitor attractions in the Helensburgh and Lomond area to re-open after the easing of lockdown restrictions.
The Friends have been working with the garden’s owners, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), on a sustainable long-term future for the attraction after the Trust warned in 2017 that mounting losses were threatening Geilston’s viability.
The NTS announced in November that the garden would re-open in 2020 while it explored options for “enabling development” in the surrounding grounds.
READ MORE: NTS job cuts: what will it mean for Hill House and Geilston Garden?
But then the pandemic struck – leaving the Trust facing the prospect of losing out on £28 million in visitor income and more than half of its staff fearing for their jobs.
Since early July, though, there has been much more cautious optimism in the air – a mood bolstered by last week’s announcement that job losses at the NTS would not be nearly as bad as originally feared, though it’s not yet clear how badly Geilston and its five staff will be affected.
Allison Hillis, chair of the Friends, said: “In the seven weeks since opening, there have been 3,500 visitors, averaging about 150 per day and several enjoyed their visit so much, they have taken out annual NTS memberships.
“The Friends of Geilston are delighted that so many people have enjoyed their visit. It makes all the effort to save the garden worthwhile.”
READ MORE: Maid of the Loch welcomes first visitors of 2020
If you haven’t entered the Friends’ annual photography competition, you’ll need to be quick – the deadline for the submission of entries is 12 noon on Tuesday, September 1.
Photos should be in landscape format, at least 1mb in size and accompanied by an appropriate caption. Each entrant can submit up to three photos to fogphotos2021@gmail.com.
There are prizes of £25, £15 and £10 for the first three winners, and the kudos of featuring in the calendar for a further 10 entrants.
The Garden is now open Thursday to Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) from 10am-5pm. Entry charges apply, but entry is free to National Trust for Scotland members.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here