Hawick War Memorial is the ‘Champion of Champions’
Monday, November 27 2006
The War Memorial in Hawick, located in the grounds of Scottish Borders Council’s Wilton Lodge Park, has won the 'Champion of Champions' award at the Royal British Legion Scotland ‘Best Kept War Memorial’ Competition 2006.
The memorial was awarded 'Very Highly Commended' status by the panel of judges from the Royal British Legion Scotland. One of the principle aims of Legion is Remembrance and the visible sign of Remembrance is the 'War Memorial'.
The competition, which attracted 62 entries from towns across Scotland, gives points according to the standard of maintenance of the memorial and the appearance of adjacent gardens, tubs and planters.
The Legion worked alongside Scottish local authorities to assess the entries.
The award is a tribute to the hard work of the Property team at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and in particular Frank Scott, Area Property Office, Hawick. Dave Romanis, SBC’s Property Manager was delighted with the result. He said, "War Memorials are a visible tribute to those who gave their lives in the service of their country and as the Council is entrusted with ongoing care and maintenance, the least we can do is to keep them in good order so that future generations can also reflect and remember".
SBC’s Parks and Open Spaces department are also delighted with the award which recognises the hard work of Keith Douglas, Manager, Wilton Lodge Park, for maintaining the surrounding gardens to such a high standard.
Hawick also won the Champion of Champion’s award in 2003 and the consistent high standard of this entry was reflected in the comments of the Judges, describing the memorial as "a superb display once again".
Congratulations are also extended to Newcastleton, Walkerburn and The Boer War War Memorial in Hawick, all of which received 'Commended' status and Peebles who were 'Very Highly Commended' in the competition's general category which includes satellite or secondary entries for each of the towns.
Councillor Gordon Edgar, Portfolio Holder for Technical Services, was delighted with the award. He says, "It is excellent to see the hard work of both the Property and Parks teams recognised in this way. It is important to SBC that the War Memorials in their care are maintained in a way which befits the service of those they recognise and remember".
Legion Trophies and Certificates were awarded as part of the ‘Beautiful Scotland in Bloom’ Awards ceremony.
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