Scores of dedicated volunteers at National Trust for Scotland sites throughout Fife have been honoured for their commitment to volunteering.
People who have helped at Falkland Palace, Hill of Tarvit near Cupar and Kellie Castle near Pittenweem were all recognised as a special ceremony held in Perth recently.
Forty members of the Falkland Garden Volunteers team range in age from 18 to 80, and together volunteer for more than 120 hours every week, as well as helping out with special occasions and events.
They received a Special Commendation award for their work ranging from caring for the cut flower border and glasshouse plants, weaving willow or even beekeeping.
Falkland Palace also celebrated the success of 34 of its volunteers, including nine gardeners, as they were presented with volunteer long service awards recognising their ongoing commitment to the property.
With lengths of service ranging from five to 20 years, the awards represented a combined total of 300 years of voluntary service to the Trust.
31 volunteers at Hill of Tarvit were recognised for a range of long service periods, while 36 other volunteers were honoured for their long service at Kellie Castle.
In total, the 67 awards presented for the two east Fife properties covered a remarkable 640 years of volunteering.
National Trust for Scotland’s chief executive Simon Skinner paid tribute to everyone for showing such dedication to their respective cause.
He said: “Volunteers are a vital force in protecting Scotland’s heritage, devoting their time and talent to our charity and the wonderful places in our care.
“I want to say thank you to all of our dedicated volunteers who play such an important role at Falkland Palace, Hill of Tarvit, and Kellie Castle, and at every National Trust for Scotland site across the country.”
The National Trust for Scotland has around 3,500 volunteers who play a key role in keeping Scotland’s heritage alive at properties and offices all over Scotland.
Falkland Palace is currently looking for volunteers to join the indoor learning and guiding team in 2018, while a range of volunteer roles are available at Hill of Tarvit and Kellie Castle.
Those include indoor roles such as guiding, visitor reception, collections conservation, cleaning, retail and catering; outdoor roles such as gardening, estate and golf course management; and specialist volunteer roles including piano playing and historic textile conservation.
For more information about volunteering with the National Trust for Scotland, visit http://www.nts.org.uk/Volunteering/.
