Keep Dundee Growing: City talks planned as support for Dundee Botanic Garden petition rises closer to 20K
- Dundee Culture
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
The campaign to help secure the future of Dundee Botanic Garden has reached another significant milestone.
The online petition to save the gardens is now edging closer to 20,000 signatures as campaigners continue to build support across the city and beyond.
The growing number of signatures marks another step forward for the petition, which was launched following the announcement that the University of Dundee intends to close the gardens as part of its wider financial recovery plans.
Dundee Culture founder Andrew Batchelor has confirmed that he will be meeting with city officials next week to discuss the future of the Botanic Gardens, the proposed closure of the Cooper Gallery and university programmes, and potential next steps that could help safeguard the much-loved attraction.
The meeting forms part of ongoing efforts to explore ways the wider community, organisations and civic leaders can work together to help secure a future for the gardens.
Alongside the discussions, campaigners are also looking to make the petition more accessible. Andrew has been working with petition creator Frances Smith to develop a physical version of the petition for people who may not be able to sign online.
It is hoped the paper petition can be made available at Dundee Botanic Garden, allowing visitors to add their support in person while complementing the online campaign, which has already attracted support from thousands of people.
Speaking about the latest update, Andrew said the response from the public has been hugely encouraging but stressed that there is still a long road ahead.
"To see the petition getting closer to 20,000 signatures is incredible. Every single signature sends a powerful message about how much Dundee Botanic Garden means to our community.
"We've made encouraging progress, but there is still a long journey ahead. I'm looking forward to meeting with city officials next week to discuss what more can be done, while also working with Frances to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to support the campaign through both the online and proposed physical petition."
