Club Meeting

The speaker at the virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry on 8th April was Suzie Huggins of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Introducing Suzie, Colin Riddell said that she began working there in 2018 as project director for the gardens' 350th anniversary in 2020. Suzie's well-illustrated presentation covered the history of the gardens from the 17th century to today's restoration of the historic glasshouses and building of a new glass house. To facilitate this work, all the plants had to be moved to a safe place - a considerable undertaking in itself. This year, the 351st, the display in the Botanic Gardens includes a remarkable ten-metre-tall silk-covered inflatable sculpture of a Golden Snub Monkey by the Australian artist  Lisa Roet. It is climbing the wall of Inverleith House to draw attention to the plant and animal species endangered by climate change. The original gardener's cottage on the Inverleith site was moved and rebuilt stone by stone. It now houses an education centre for visitors ranging from toddlers to horticultural students. As a tribute to the Royal Botanic Gardens, the floral clock in Princes Street Gardens will be decorated to commemorate the anniversary. It will be in bloom from May till October this year.

Due to covid, restrictions on visiting the Botanic Gardens are still in place, but online bookings can be made. The Science Festival from 26th June to 11th July will be online this year. It will include 'The Hidden Beauty of Seeds and Fruits' by Levon Biss. There will also be online discussions. Cooking sessions will include the use of seaweed and also look at the role of women and children who collected seaweed from nearby beaches for a pittance. Members of the public are being asked to submit stories and photographs of their memories of the Botanic Gardens and much more information about the centenary celebrations can be found on the Royal Botanic Gardens website.

Suzie concluded by hoping the discussions at the COP26 Conference in Glasgow later this year will not only talk about the seriousness of climate change but put in place long-term solutions.

 In her Third Quarter Report, President Irene Brownless gave a round-up of the club's activities since the start of 2021. She thanked the members and guests who have attended Zoom meetings for their indomitable good humour, for enjoyable fellowship nights and for suggesting some remarkable speakers. She hoped the club would get back to some form of normality sometime soon.