Friday 21 April 2023

Welcome to Community, your Dumfries and Galloway community bulletin. 

We are always keen to hear of any positive stories about things that are happening in your community and would like to feature them in Community – please email us at communitybulletin@dumgal.gov.uk and one of our reporters will get back to you.

Spring Clean Scotland Makes a Difference

National campaigns either capture your attention or they don’t, but it is clear this years Spring Clean Scotland campaign has struck a chord with communities across the region – 1706 individuals have grabbed their litter pickers, donned their hi-viz vests and filled bags full of discarded litter. There has been a truly astonishing commitment shown in support of the annual campaign, organised by Keeping Scotland Beautiful – Scotland’s leading environmental charity, and one that Dumfries and Galloway Council continues to support annually.

There are already many groups and individuals across the region that regularly roll up their environmentally conscious sleeves and litter pick, knowing that each bag filled protects nature and wildlife. As a result, it is no surprise that the campaign has been supported by so many across the region.

The results are truly inspirational:

• Number of volunteers – 1706.
• Total number of bags of litter collected – 1885.
• Total number of bags of litter recycled – 303.
• Total number of events registered – 240.

Dumfries and Galloway also placed second in the whole of Scotland for number of events registered, and has broken all previous records held during the Spring Clean Scotland Campaign – with no other authority reaching over 200 events before.

It is important to reflect on, and appreciate, the impact that communities have made during the campaign. One-thousand-eight-hundred-and-eighty-five bags is impressive, but imagine how many individual pieces or rubbish were in each one. What has been achieved by such resilient communities has been recognised nationally, and plans are in motion to recognise the individual and community efforts at ward area presentations in our region.

Although the Spring Clean Scotland campaign has finished for 2023, it's just the start of the long-term plan to support the good work to keep our region looking great. Your local ward officer can support you with resources to facilitate litter picking, and the Councils Community Assets Team can collect filled bags.

Last, we would like to extend a thank you to each and every person who supported the event: you made this happen. Your civic pride, resilience and commitment to protecting our beautiful region has resonated across the country. 

Gull Awareness

Dumfries and Galloway is a beautiful place but the long coastline and vibrant communities make it an attractive place for gulls – and these can sometimes cause problems for residents, businesses, and tourists.

Gulls flock in colonies and tend to return to the same nesting spots in spring every year. Owners or occupiers should check their roofs regularly for signs of nesting. Once nests have been built, they cannot be removed without a licence. The best time to gull-proof properties is between October and February, as the breeding season is usually between March and September. Property owners can discourage gulls from nesting by erecting wires or nets to chimney heads, flat roof areas and other potential nesting areas. If your property is social housing, it is your landlord's responsibility to carry out any work to the property. If you want to proof your property yourself whether it be a private or social tenancy, you must seek permission first from your landlord for work carried out. It is recommended that all work undertaken by a contactor or business or from Trusted Traders. Gulls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. However, sometimes they are more than a nuisance and can cause harm to the public by swooping for food or to protect their young. In addition, in very large numbers, they can pose physical and mental health risks due to their droppings and noise. As a last resort, Nature Scot can give you a licence to remove eggs and nests. If you need support to apply for a licence, then please contact us at gulls@dumgal.gov.uk The Council's Trusted Trader scheme has a section on gull prevention. The traders listed there may be able to carry out this work for you.

Artist Rooms Exhibition at Gracefield Arts Centre

Diane Arbus (1923–1971) is acknowledged as one of the greats of twentieth-century American photography. She produced a remarkable body of work that documented the lives, appearances and emotions of people, celebrating the extraordinary in the ordinary.

This Artist Rooms exhibition is presented at Gracefield Arts Centre in partnership with Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Watch out for gallery talks and workshops for adults and young people accompanying this stunning show. 

The exhibition opens at 10am on Saturday 29 April at Gracefield Arts Centre, 28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries.

Langholm Girls Football – Grassroots to Stardom

Just over a year ago, girls’ football in Langholm started as an after-school football club. One year later, Langholm Girls Football Club is fully affiliated to Scottish Women’s Football, which ensures a safe environment for our girls to play football. More than 60 girls have registered with the club and teams play games in Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 age groups.

In such a short period of time, players representing Canonbie and Langholm Primary Schools have won the primary schools' competitions, players have trialled and been selected for regional school football squads, and S1/S2 girls representing Langholm Academy have qualified for the South West Regional Finals of the nationwide schools’ cup. They have participated in friendly games in all age groups and taken part in several girl’s football festivals in the Borders region.

Last year the new club hosted Hearts Football Club Community Football and Development team for a Summer Coaching Camp, and they plan to repeat that this year. The club has also managed to fit in a memorable match-day experience during the Hearts FC vs Rangers FC Premiership football fixture in October.

The young club has achieved a lot in a short time. The club has the support of a wide range of community based supporters, excellent funding support, and countless volunteers who have committed their time to make this happen. Watch this space…if this is just the start, what does the future look like?

Dumfries Musical Theatre Company is Proud to Present: Chess

Written by great musical lyricist Sir Tim Rice, with music by ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, Chess will be performed at the Theatre Royal Dumfries this May.

After being postponed for three years due to the COVID pandemic, Dumfries Musical Theatre Company will be performing Chess at the Theatre Royal, Dumfries from 13 to 20 May 2023.

This highly acclaimed musical is set around a chess tournament between two grandmasters – one American, the other a Soviet. Between them, apart from a chess board, is a woman who manages one of the men, and who falls in love with the other.

From Tyrol to Thailand the players, lovers, politicians, CIA and KGB make their moves to the pulse of this monumental rock score, including international hits such as "One Night in Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well".

Directed by Stewart Cameron and assisted by Liz McGuiness, musically directed by Christopher Watt, and choreographed by Amy McCreadie, Chess promises to be a night to remember.

Tickets are available online from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/brigend-theatre as well as the Theatre Royal Dumfries Box Office and Midsteeple Box Office.

The Search Continues for The Biosphere’s Most Wanted

The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere’s nature-recording project returned to south west Scotland this month and there is still time to sign up for the next workshop at Whithorn in the Machars.

The Biosphere’s Most Wanted introduces six key species that represent the fascinating variety of plant and animal life across the UNESCO-designated region that is the Biosphere, as well as the challenges they face due to climate change and human activity. The project launched on World Wildlife Day back in March, and each event comprises an indoor workshop followed by a wildlife walk in local green space.

The Biosphere team is using the iNaturalist app that makes this important ‘citizen science’ accessible to everyone with a mobile phone. Every record submitted via the app feeds into national and international databases that are used by environmental agencies to focus their research and conservation activity on the ground.

All are invited to join Most Wanted at Whithorn on Saturday 29 April between 10.30am and 12 noon. Booking is free, and the event is suitable for all ages (children must be accompanied).

Let’s Get Back on the Bus

Scotland’s bus and coach services can easily connect you with friends, family, and great times, whether you’re meeting friends for an evening out, heading to your local swimming pool or having a family day out. Even better, they’re a great and hassle-free way to travel. Find out how you can save money, reduce stress, and cut your carbon emissions.

Wherever you’re going, your next journey should start with a stop.

Why choose the bus?

• It’s greener – more people on buses and coaches means less cars on the road, which reduces damaging carbon emissions and improves air quality. Think about times you can use a bus or a coach instead of taking the car and help Scotland to meet its net-zero goals.
• If you’re under 22, over 60, or have a disability you can travel for free. For others,  different types of tickets are available to suit how often you travel and save you money.
• It can be more convenient – taking the bus instead of driving means you can relax and don’t have to worry about stopping for petrol, dealing with congestion, or finding somewhere to park. You don’t need to pay for a taxi either!

Emergency Alerts System

There will be a national test of the UK’s new Emergency Alerts system on Sunday 23 April at 3pm. The test alert will be sent to most mobile phones across the UK. Devices will make a distinct, siren-like sound for up to 10 seconds, including on phones switched to silent mode. Phones will also vibrate and display a message about the test. You don't need to do anything with this alert, it is just a test of the system.

Some people may have a secret phone – for example where they are subject to domestic abuse – and may want to opt out of emergency alerts. To opt out: Search your Settings or Notifications for ‘emergency alerts’. 2. Turn off ‘severe alerts’ and ‘extreme alerts’. If you still get alerts, contact your device manufacturer for help.

The RBCFT Film of the Week

The RBCFT Film of the Week is foreign-language drama The Beasts. Based on real-life events, Denis Ménochet and Marina Foïs play a married couple whose dream of moving to the countryside gradually turns into a living nightmare. Antione and Olga have moved to a small village in Galicia, in Spain’s north west. They support themselves by growing and selling their own vegetables, and in their spare time repair and refurbish abandoned cottages in the neighbourhood. It’s a quiet and peaceful existence. At least it was, until the neighbourhood are approached by Norwegian developers who are willing to buy the residents out of the neighbourhood to build a wind farm on their property. Antione and Olga are the only residents who voted against the development, much to the annoyance of two local brothers, who have grown piqued by the couple’s presence in the community. It’s an opportunity that many locals would benefit from financially. But it doesn’t fit with Antoine and Olga’s vision of their perfect country life. From this disagreement, tensions and tempers rise, pushing the situation to the point of no return. Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s films articulately explore the relationship between masculinity and violence. In that vein, The Beasts could have easily followed in the tradition of John Boorman’s Deliverance, and Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, revealing the ugliness that exists beneath the thin veneer of societal respectability. But Sorogoyen’s film is more interested in contrasting the way men and women navigate powder-keg situations – where some perceive violence as the only option, while others seek avenues to diffuse rather than exacerbate conflict. The filmmaker, working in tandem with Ménochet and Foïs, who deliver superb performances as the besieged couple, successfully draws immense power from the escalating situation. Monsters exist in the world, the film informs us. And they may reside closer to our homes than we might care to imagine. Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen cements his reputation as one of contemporary European cinema’s specialists in suspense with this hugely accomplished fourth feature. The Beasts is showing at the RBCFT on Monday 24 April at 6.45pm as part of its regular Monday Night Film Club.