A PROJECT to transform abandoned sewage works into wild flower gardens will take root after it was awarded £100,000 in Lotto cash.

The Waterworks in Barrhead was given the funding after being named Grow Wild's top Scottish community growing project.

It was named the winner following an online poll that saw 20,000 people vote for their favourite plan.

An industrial wildlife area will be created for the community, using derelict sewage tanks as giant experimental planters where displays of Scottish wild flowers will be encouraged.

The project is being led by East Renfrew-shire Council with help from Barrhead High School and the Still Game community group for older residents.

The site, in Dunterlie in Barrhead, is ranked by the Scottish Government as within the top 5% of Scotland's most deprived communities.

Councillor Tony Buchanan, convener for infrastructure and sustainable growth, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for our local residents.

"The funding will rescue land that has been lying derelict for 30 years and transform the site into something really special."

The Grow Wild campaign encourages groups to reclaim underused spaces for the benefit of local people.

John Fellows, of the Big Lottery Fund said: "The Waterworks shows what is possible when a community comes together to make a difference to their own environment. "

Runners up included Belville Community Garden in Greenock, which planned to deliver a community garden on the site of former high rise flats in Greenock to encourage community participation in healthy activities, and the Frog Pond Rises project in Livingston, West Lothian, which would see a much-loved pond and park area undergo a transformation through wetland creation and the design of a wild flower structure.

The two Scottish runners-up will each receive £4000 to progress their projects.

The Evening Times was named Scottish Campaigning News- paper Of The Year, last year, for our Streets Ahead campaign, which awards grants to communities to improve their local environment.

For details of Grow Wild activities in Scotland, visit www.grow wilduk.com. For Streets Ahead, contact ann. fotheringham@evening times.co.uk.