In Flag 159 we reported the opening of a new garden in Glasgow, Glasgow's Hidden Gardens at the Tramway on the south side of the city. To date the new gardens have attracted some 10,000 visitors and last week The Hidden Gardens was celebrating winning the Dynamic Place Open Space Award organised by Scottish Enterprise and sponsored by Scottish National Heritage. The third annual Dynamic Place Awards recognised projects and initiatives across Scotland in the categories of Buildings, Open Spaces, Making Connections (both digital and transport), People/ Training and Development and Sustainability. There were also awards for the individual of the Year and the Team of the Year. The award identifies quality in improving areas or streetscapes, benefits for users business and community and integration with surroundings.

 

Rolf Roscher, Director of the City Design Co-Operative and Landscape Architect for The Hidden Gardens told The Flag : " We are delighted to have secured this award. I have enjoyed working on the project and am delighted that it has been recognised at the Dynamic Place Awards. Winning the award will be of great help to The Hidden Gardens in terms of the prestige it will bring. It will also help us promote the gardens to a wider audience."

 

The Hidden gardens will be holding the third in their series of annual Festivals of Light programme on Saturday 6 December 2003 with a celebration of Eid Al-Fitr, the key festival in the Islamic calendar, between 4pm and 8pm. There will be a typical Middle Eastern Bazaar featuring stalls selling food, clothing, crafts, books and flowers. Children will be able to hunt for presents among the branches of trees throughout the garden.

 

The event will also incorporate the switch-on of the Winter Lights (viewable daily between 6 December and 20 December 2003 (except Mondays) between 4pm and 8pm. A beautiful, specially commissioned set of illuminations that will bring warmth and magic to the trees, artworks and pathways of Scotland's first garden dedicated to peace.

 

The past Hidden Gardens Festivals of Light were Midsummer and Diwali and a Christmas Carol Concert will round off the series on Saturday 20 December 2003 (7pm - 9pm) with hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts to keep out the cold!. Visit www.thehiddengardens.co.uk or telephone 0845 330 3501 for further details.

 

Winter has come with a vengeance so a hot, tasty soup is just the ticket for this week's recipe. The Brownhall Institute provided just such a recipe to 'The Anniversary Cook-Book of the Dumfriesshire Federation SWRI 1922-1992'. Hearty Vegetable Soup will heat you up before attending any outdoor event at this time of year.

 

Hearty Vegetable Soup

 

Ingredients : 1/2 oz (15 g) butter; a mixture of fresh vegetables, chopped or sliced; 1/2 pint (300 ml) chicken stock; 1/2 pint (300 ml) milk; 1 oz (25 g) wholemeal macaroni; salt, pepper and nutmeg; small can tuna, drained and flaked

 

Melt butter in large saucepan, add vegetables, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add pasta, stock and seasoning and bring to boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Gradually stir in milk and fish, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Serve with diced or grated cheese. Serves 2.