THE SURVIVAL prospects of Dundee’s Botanic Garden have been given a boost after it received a four-star rating from VisitScotland for the first time.

The threat has been hanging over the garden since Dundee University court endorsed the findings of a sustainability review and agreed to make substantial savings in order to overturn a £1.6 million budget deficit.

As well as cutting courses and jobs, the review recommended that the university finds ways to reduce the cost of running the garden.

A working group was formed to consider how to secure a sustainable future for the garden, but it will not report back to the university until next month.

While the university insists the gardens are not under threat of closure, question marks remain over how much its maintenance will be scaled down, which campaigners fear will result in it losing its specialist botanical identity.

However, the fight to save the garden has now been bolstered by the news from Scotland’s tourist authority.

A spokeswoman for VisitScotland confirmed yesterday the garden had been given an improved rating of four stars.

She said, “Dundee Botanic Garden offers a fantastic quality experience for visitors.

“Our quality advisor was particularly impressed with the high standard of the information they display and the way they introduced elements that would captivate children of all ages.”

The university said, “We hope this recognition might assist efforts which are currently being made to extend the range of financial support available to the garden, which is currently funded almost entirely by the university—the only botanic garden in Scotland to be funded in this way.

“The working group established earlier this year —which involves the university, the Friends of the Botanic Garden, Dundee City Council and other interested parties—has been working exhaustively to identify new partners prepared to invest in the long-term future of the garden.”

Friends of the Botanic Garden chairman Andrew Morrison, said the award showed how important to Dundee it is that the garden is saved.

“We are delighted because this is a recognition of the fact that the garden is a great place to visit and it is an asset to Dundee.

“We should congratulate the staff of the garden, both past and present, for bringing the garden to such a high standard.

“Alasdair Hood, the curator, has done a great deal in improving the garden and this award is a reminder of the value of the garden and the need for it to be saved completely and its future ensured.”