Corstorphine in Bloom is a community action group aiming to enhance the streets of Corstorphine and Clermiston, encourage volunteering, improve health and increase footfall for businesses by planting flowers. It aims to minimise bureaucracy and maximise fun.

The five parks within the Corstorphine and Clermiston Community Council area are working together on this. Eleven shopping areas have been identified whereby planters and hanging baskets may be installed. Some areas have planters in various states of maintenance. The intention is that the 16 areas will have animals associated with them and early discussions have taken place with the zoo about being involved. There is an opportunity to highlight endangered species and provide wildlife information to a wider group.

The initiative fits with many council meet council strategies on greenspaces, community and environment. See Council Aims and Corstorphine in Bloom and City Policies and Strategies.

🤝Volunteering Model – Devolved with No Bureaucracy

The scheme envisages a low bureaucracy devolved funding model. Planters will be adopted by businesses or organisations. Funding will come from these bodies and volunteers will work within that framework. The community action group will facilitate matching volunteers and planter sponsors. The five parks will work with the community council going forward and the city council nursery will keep a list of planters and organisations managing them. There are no committee meetings to attend and no bureaucracy.

Volunteering across all organisations has dropped and this scheme allows people to become involved in their community at a time of their choosing. Other schemes within the community council area that have adopted a similar model such as the “bench buddy” scheme whereby people look after a bench and area at a time of their choosing have bene over subscribed. (See adopt a park bench)

📋Planning, Legal and Insurance

The location and type of new planters need to be reviewed by the planning team to ensure that they can be moved, do not obstruct utility access points or create health and safety hazards. The City Council Greenspaces team have provided this draft Pathway to Install Planters and Hanging Baskets. Organisations adopting existing planters will be provided with health and safety advice and their public liability insurance will cover activities. Volunteers from households working for businesses will be covered by the business. Planters volunteers without organisation or business insurance will need to work within an organisational framework – there are some ideas on this that need fleshed out.

🌼Water, Earth and Flowers

The expectation is that businesses will allow the provision of water. Advice is needed on planters and hanging baskets

• Here is a map and photos of the stone planters on St John’s Road.
• Flowers to use in stone planters
• Some shops already have flowers in hanging baskets as shown on this map
• Hanging Basket Flowers and Costs

🦒The Corstorphine Safari

A key element of the scheme is to have an animal focused trail between planter areas. Information about animals will be at each location with QR codes to measure interaction. This will allow fresh air exercise for families, encourage education about wildlife and increase footfall for businesses.

💷Finance and Tools

The expectation is that planters will be self funded. Organisations adopting a planter will provide some funding out of their budgets and can apply for funding for this purpose from many bodies. Sponsorship signs will be installed in line with council guidelines and practices followed in other towns. Businesses sponsoring planters will buy goods direct with advice from city council experts. People are expected to bring their own tools such as hand trowels and gardening gloves. Watering cans are £4 from a local hardware shop. The city council will look at what assistance they might provide with surpluses from elsewhere. Parks have tools that can be used.

📊Measures of Success

There will be a number of measures

• number of volunteers (22 at Feb 26)
• number of businesses (3 at Feb 26)
• number of organisations (8 at feb 26)
• number of QR code interactions on animal displays

🌳Long Term Success

Organisations adopting planters should have many members and therefore be able to sustain that commitment long term. In areas where individuals are matched to planters we will not go ahead unless there is at least three separate households involved. Experiences in parks with volunteers are that circumstances can change and by matching three households to a planter this mitigates changed circumstances. Loss of business sponsorship may mean others helping out short term. We have looked at other towns to see what works and what challenges are faced.

The Corstorphine and Clermiston Community Council and five parks would be the overall community continuity of the scheme. It is envisaged there would be no ongoing work as such as each planter will be recorded with the council.