Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh launches appeal to fund restoration work after storm
by Davide Ghilotti
credit: Helen Pugh
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has launched a fundraising appeal to help restore the gardens to their former glory after they were seriously damaged during this month’s storms.
The gardens suffered the most significant damage for 30 years as a result of the gale-force winds that struck earlier in the month. In Edinburgh, hundreds of panes of glass were smashed in the glass houses and trees uprooted while at the Benmore site, 80 trees were pulled down, many of which were planted in the 1820s. There was also significant damage at the RBGE’s other two gardens in Logan and Dawyck.
The RBGE is now appealing to the public to help to fund the clean-up. So far, the initiative has raised £3,785. “There is no specific target, we are just trying to raise as much money as we can to offset the costs,” said Shauna Hay, Press and Marketing manager at RGBE. Donations can be made via the RBGE website (www.rbge.org.uk).