The gardens are at their full summer peak at present and reflect the first class work and dedication of the staff. Countless members of the public have voted with their feet and paid the Gardens a visit in recent weeks.

Our public tours run by our volunteer garden guides have been outstandingly successful with many visitors from all continents of the world. We are running four public tours each week and in addition we have a steady flow of groups and clubs visiting. Full details are found on our website.

The two wildlife walks over the summer along the River Kelvin were arranged for our members and both tours were fully subscribed. Members have been emailed with an invitation to attend a bat walk in the Gardens in early September. The response was terrific and the walk is
now full. Owing to limited access to the Gardens in the evenings and the impending hibernation of the bats it is impractical to organise further dates this year. We hope to repeat the walk early next summer.

We are very grateful to Alexandra Jackson one of our local Countryside Rangers for leading these very successful walks.

Our forthcoming CPH course is now fully booked with eighteen keen participants.

On 6 August our Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren is returning to formally open the new Peace Garden near the pond. As stated in a previous newsletter, Friends have contributed to its development and funding. Staff from the Gardens will be present and our Curator Dr Hiro
Shimai will be playing a prominent part on what will be the 80th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb.

Finally Andrew was pleased to receive an email from the Scottish Parliament recently which has been reproduced elsewhere in the newsletter. I am sure that we are all delighted that the work of Friends of Glasgow Botanic Gardens has been recognised in a formal motion in the
Holyrood Parliament.

We look forward to welcoming Annie Wells MSP for Glasgow visiting Glasgow Botanic Gardens.