DGWGO Friend Anna Louise Adair has very kindly sent us this report and some of her pictures of the official opening of the Ecclefechan Seasons Garden Official Opening which took place on the 25th of August 2013.
DGWGO would like to thank Anna for allowing us to share this with everyone.
Our Community Council received funding from the Leader Project.
LEADER is a bottom-up method of delivering support for rural development through implementing Local Development Strategies. Support is awarded by 20 Local Action Groups (LAGs) and is aimed at local projects with a wide community benefit that show an element of originality or experimentation, where possible, and complement other activities within the Local Development Strategy.
The funding was used to pay for various story boards telling the story of Village Life In Ecclefechan to be put up around the village. With the money that was left over it was decided to revamp the garden next to the village hall, in a way that the Hoddom Primary School Children could be involved .
Sculptor & Artist David Gross went along to the school where the children helped to carve an oak bench see photo below , standing stone sculptures were then designed following the story of butterflies and carved with the four seasons. Nursery school children read a story called “The Boy and the Blue Bunnet” which is a music and words adventure introducing children to Scots and Gaelic music and language from which the quotes on the sculptures were taken from this.
A very nervous but talented Primary 6 pupil, 9 yr old Ciara McGhie read a speech telling everyone how the garden came about, she also unveiled 6 plaque’s telling The Story of Ecclefechan Life these will be displaced in the village hall. Equally nervous Primary 1 pupil, 5 yr old Eisa Rasool unveiled the four seasons garden plaque.Well done to both children !
It was a lovely sunny afternoon well attended and showed true community spirit, where we all enjoyed tea and cakes afterwards. A huge thank you to all who made the garden possible and gave their support on the day.
