Friday 24 February 2023
Welcome to Community, your Dumfries and Galloway community bulletin.
As always, if you have any positive stories about things that are happening in your community and would like to see them featured in Community – please email us at communitybulletin@dumgal.gov.uk and one of our reporters will get back to you.
Thanks for Helping Us With Our Plan
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to contribute towards the development of the new Council Plan 2023–2028.
The consultation ran from 20 December 2022 to 31 January 2023 with the goal of understanding the views of citizens, partners and staff on the vision, themes and outcomes within the draft Council Plan.
A report will be presented to Full Council on 28 February providing feedback from the consultation process on the draft Council Plan and proposing a final Council Plan.
We received 529 responses to the consultation, which showed that the level of agreement with the draft Council Plan was high, and many comments and questions.
The final Council Plan set to be presented to Full Council includes updates following consideration and analysis of the responses from the consultation with citizens, stakeholders and staff. It also reflects comments received from Elected Members at Full Council in December.
Responses to questions raised in the consultation will be answered in the final consultation document, which will be published on the consultation hub in April.
If you’re interested in finding out more in advance of the meeting on Tuesday, you can view the full-and-final Council Plan 2023–28 here: Dumfries and Galloway Council Plan
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A Message from Dumfries and Galloway Council's Armed Forces Champion
As our Ukrainian Guests are only too well aware, today (Friday 24 February) marks one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It is appropriate that the UK is having a minute’s silence at 11.00am – similar to our Remembrance Day arrangements – as this is an armed conflict, and those fighting merit that time for us all to remember and show our respect.
There are events in the major cities of our country to mark this date so that we can show our support for Ukrainian people, and we are grateful to MOOL (D&G Refugee Action) for providing free transport and support to local guests wishing to attend.
Ukrainian flags will be flying across the country as a mark of respect. In Dumfries and Galloway they will be flying in Annan, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Stranraer. The Council headquarters on English Street, Dumfries, will be lit up blue and yellow as a visible reminder of this anniversary for all.
As a former serving soldier, with a son who also served in the Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, my family and I know only too well the challenges of being separated from loved ones, the worry and concern for those in battle, and the hardship for the family living far away in a different country, without a parent, a sibling, a partner, or a child. So, my thoughts are with you all.
Be assured that the people of this region want to care for you during your time with us and we hope that our open hearts and open doors are of comfort to you during this difficult time.
Councillor Archie Dryburgh, Civic Head and Armed Forces Champion Dumfries and Galloway Council
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Flood Recovery Community Conversations
A series of Flood Recovery Community Conversations are taking place right across Dumfries and Galloway in response to recent flooding that has affected residents and businesses. The focus of the conversations is to listen to community voices, understand the impacts of the flooding, and to gather evidence to inform the development of future flood recovery planning.
Over the past two weeks, it has been great to hear the views of householders and businesses across the region during the events at Dalbeattie Town Hall, Kirkton Village Hall, Tynron Parish Hall (pictured above) and The Bridge, Dumfries.
We are looking forward to participating in the final Community Conversation, in a series of five, on 2 March, 5pm–7pm at Stranraer Customer Service Centre.
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 Cost of Living: Seven Steps for Saving Energy
We probably all know what we could be doing, but do you know just how much money you can save with a few simple changes? Try out these seven steps to savings and see how much your bills go down. It is important to be careful if you’re over 65 or have a pre-existing health condition of course, so if you’re in these categories, don’t hesitate to ask a health professional for some extra advice.
- Turn down your combi boiler temperature to 60°C – there’s a dial on the boiler and just making that small change could save you £100 a year.
- Turn down radiator valves when you’re not in the room to the number two or three –don’t turn them off though because it takes more energy to heat a room up again. This will create a saving of £70 a year.
- Switch off your sockets. It’s amazing how much it can mount up when you leave everything on standby – a saving of £70 a year is possible here.
- Wash your clothes at a lower temperature. Most people just keep using the same old programme. Try washing at 30°C and you probably won’t even notice the difference in your laundry but you will in your bill, by around £40 a year.
- Switching to energy saving light bulbs could save about £55.
- Ditch those draughts. Windows and doors often let in some cold air, so a small investment in making or buying draught excluders or window film would make your room just that bit cosier – meaning you don’t need extra heat sources or you could turn the thermostat down.
- Close your curtains and blinds – literally shut out the cold.
There are more tips on the cost of living website through Energy Scotland Find Funding, Grants and Loans· Home Energy Scotland and that includes information on some bigger projects you could undertake like solar panels, loft and wall insulation, changing your heating systems. But we hope that these simple ideas will give you a helping hand especially while we’re still having some chilly days and nights.
 Dumfries and Galloway Council Achieves Volunteering Quality Standard
Dumfries and Galloway Council has become the first whole Council in Scotland to be awarded the Investing in Volunteers (IiV) Charter Mark of Excellence by Volunteer Scotland. The external accreditation was officially presented to Stephen Thompson, Council Leader, and Dawn Roberts, Chief Executive, at the Ewart Library in Dumfries on Tuesday 14 February 2023. The award was presented by Allana Fotheringham, Volunteer Manager, Volunteer Scotland.
Investing in Volunteers is a UK quality standard that aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience and ensure organisations acknowledge the contribution of their volunteers. The award, which involved a rigorous evaluation of the Council’s volunteer programme, is recognition of the important role volunteers undertake in supporting the Council’s Priorities and service delivery.
We are extremely fortunate to have a wealth of volunteers working across our region, giving freely of their time and skills, enhancing their local communities, and supporting the work and priorities of our Council. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds carry out roles including everything from providing pupils support; delivering food parcel provisions; carrying out beach cleans and litter picks to cataloguing archives, working with the Southern Upland Way ranger on practical maintenance and helping their community respond to unexpected events and emergencies.
DGC Community Benefits Wishlist
Dumfries and Galloway Council's Community Benefits Wishlist is a scheme that will allow local community groups to submit requests for support and link them with council suppliers who will offer to meet these needs through their community benefits proposals.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is committed to securing community benefits from all contracts wherever possible and will require successful suppliers to work with the Council, as part of the delivery of the services, in transforming the community in a real and sustainable manner.
The Community Benefits Wishlist webpage has details on what the wishlist is, and you can also read the frequently asked questions about the scheme. There is a form on the page so local community organisations can request the type of support they need.
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Coast to Coast Cycling Route Webinars
South of Scotland Enterprise is running webinars where you can learn more about the opportunities for the new 250-mile cycle route covering the length of the South of Scotland.
The project is expected to deliver new economic, environmental and community benefits and will be ready in time for Scotland to host the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships this summer.
The route is being taken forward with a Team South approach through the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership that includes South of Scotland Enterprise, Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders councils, South of Scotland Destination Alliance, VisitScotland and Sustrans Scotland.
You can register to attend a webinar here:
Thursday 9 March, 2.30–3.30pm
Thursday 9 March, 7–8pm
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Dumfries Bridges Civil Engineering Trail
A new leaflet has been created that takes you on a journey along the River Nith through Dumfries. The town’s bridges not only span across the river but also across several centuries, reflecting the story of transport and the history of Dumfries.
The Dumfries Bridges Civil Engineering Trail was the brainchild of Lauryn Steel, an economic development officer with the Council’s Strategic Economic Investment Service after her children's school trip was cancelled due to covid cases at the venue. Lauryn quickly pulled together an ad hoc tour of the bridges that followed on from project work she’d been doing with the P5–7 class on bridges. The resultant leaflet was produced by the Institution of Civil Engineers in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council.
You can find the leaflet on the website for the Institution of Civil Engineers, with more information on civil engineers and the important role they play in our everyday lives – without them our world would be very different.
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Do you have the confidence to support someone with sight loss if they need help? Guide Dogs UK is offering free training to teach you how to calmly and skilfully guide someone who is blind or partially sighted.
By signing up to a free online Introduction to Sighted Guiding Training, you’ll learn how to guide a person with sight loss, with confidence and empathy while also learning a useful life skill.
Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership Stakeholder Engagement
Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is asking stakeholders to consider the proposed focus and priorities for the ADP for the next three years. You can complete the online questionnaire until 28 February 2023.
The questionnaire can be filled out manually and returned to the to the ADP Support Team Office at:
Public Protection, Business Support Service, 122-124 Irish Street, Dumfries.
Customer Service Centre Reopens
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Customer Services are pleased to share that the Customer Service Centre in Eastriggs will reopen to the public on Tuesday 28 February 2023.
The facility will open on Tuesdays from 9am to 1pm and on Thursdays from 1pm to 5pm.
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