It has been a great week for the green-fingered volunteers of Garnock Valley Allotment Association.
Not only have members of GVAA been granted planning permission to create more than 70 community vegetable plots, they have also received an award for their hard work.
Members of the group, who have spent months raising money and trying to secure a site for the allotments, were delighted when North Ayrshire Council's Planning Committee last week granted permission for 73 individual allotment plots in Kilbirnie.
Now the volunteers, who have been working in the background to develop the skills they need to run the association successfully, have picked up a Scottish Learning Partnership Award for Health at Adult Learners' Week.
The group collected their framed certificate and a gift of gardening equipment at the awards ceremony held at The Crichton in Dumfries on Thursday, May 20.
GVAA Chair, Michael Martin, said: "We are all delighted to have received planning permission for the allotments as well as national recognition for our hard work - the project is really starting to come together.
"Myself and members of GVAA have, with the continued support of the Council's Community Learning and Development and Councillor Anthea Dickson, spent a long time trying to get the project moving. We must also pay tribute to the late Councillor Craig Taylor, who gave us a great deal of support right from the very beginning.
"We have spent many hours searching for suitable allotment sites, negotiating lease arrangements, applying for planning permission and trying to drum up interest in setting up community allotments.
"Once up and running, these allotments will allow local people to not only grow their own fruit and vegetables, but keep active and meet new people too. We are especially keen to encourage the younger generations to get involved."
