DESPITE coronavirus restrictions, Cockenzie and Port Seton In Bloom has said that both villages will be as colourful and attractive as ever this summer.

The group’s members have continued to work hard to look after and nurture the flowers, which are now starting to flourish in the tubs and planters around shops and along the main road.

A spokesperson for the group said it was “so fortunate” to have the nursery garden in the grounds of Cockenzie Primary School, which has a large polytunnel and three greenhouses.

Volunteers who have been working in the nursery garden have been able to maintain social distancing due to the area’s extensive spacing.

The Bloomers also set up a WhatsApp group early into lockdown which has allowed members and volunteers to communicate with each other easily, and ensure that no more than two people are working in the nursery garden at any one time.

As well as this, it has created a message book where members write what they have done and what needs carried out.

This book includes a watering rota where people take it in turns in the evening to water the plants, something described as “absolutely essential” during the hot weather.

During lockdown, members have been planting the tubs on the main road, mainly working in the early evening when most people are eating their dinner and the streets are a bit quieter.

The spokesperson added: “For many, this is a strange and challenging time. We are lucky to have been able to find safe ways to work.

“For us, it has been a lifeline, giving us a purpose at a time when so many other activities have ceased.

“Local people are used to seeing colourful displays of flowers in their village each summer. The displays this year are one sign of normality at a time when so many other things are different.”