Example of wasteland turned to five-star attraction thrust into spotlight as Gairloch's Sitooterie story shared on national stage
THE story of a swathe of Wester Ross wasteland transformed into a five-star visitor attraction was thrust into the wider spotlight this week.
The Sitooterie, in Gairloch, was created by volunteers on a stretch of land next to the water on Pier Road.
The project involved extensive clearance and tidying up followed by an ongoing commitment to maintenance.
As earlier reported, The Sitooterie Wildlife Observation Garden has been awarded, for the third consecutive year, a Keep Scotland Beautiful “Outstanding” accolade under the”It’s Your Neighbourhood” Scheme 2022.
Gairloch is only one of 4 areas to be featured, the other places being Stirling, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
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Sitooterie coordinator, David Carruthers was asked to make a presentation about the Sitooterie this week to Keep Scotland Beautiful’s annual seminar for Beautiful Scotland.
Mr Carruthers said: “This is the most astonishing tribute for Gairloch and, indeed for Ross-shire. A tiny local community garden is being recognised nationally as inspirational and is being asked to pass on its story to the rest of Scotland. This is a massive tribute to all who have supported the Sitooterie over the years and particularly to the team’s group of dedicated volunteers.
“I would particularly like to thank the efforts made by team members Paul and Fran Harvey who have been instrumental in helping so much with the garden design and volunteer coordination.”
Also featured will be the efforts of Peter Cunningham who, in 2020 , saw from his Fisheries Trust harbour office window Sitooterie furniture being swept away by a tidal surge as a result of Storm Brendan. He donned his wetsuit, grabbed a rope, went out into the loch, and rescued all the items, demonstrating community spirit at its finest and most direct.
