Friday 5 May 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.
 Youth Beatz 2023 Line-Up Announced
Youth Beatz Festival is once again back for 2023, and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Youth Beatz festival is a nine-day series of events taking place across every Ward area of Dumfries and Galloway, including the Fringe Festival, and culminating in the two main days on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July at Park Farm, Dumfries.
The main event days will be attended by 20,000 people per day and will kickstart the summer holidays for young people in the best way possible. The festival will continue to deliver a wide range of fun activities, musical performances from local and emerging young talent, and on the weekend headline acts – Joel Corry, HRVY, B*Witched, Ella Henderson, Callum Beattie, and Vengaboys.
As well as featuring well-known UK headliners, Youth Beatz Festival is proud to have local performers taking their place on the Main Stage programme for this year’s event, with a wide range of acts from across Dumfries and Galloway. Across the weekend we will see Alexander Romance from St John’s Town of Dalry, Torrs from Castle Douglas, and Kate Kyle from Dumfries, among other fantastic local young musicians.
In addition to The Main Stage performances, The Second Stage will be dedicated to up-and-coming singers and musicians from across our region, while the Third Stage will provide entertainment from dance groups across Dumfries and Galloway.
The Toon will expand for 2023, with the hard-hitting interactive drama gearing up for another year as one of the festival’s biggest features. The Youth Work Area will contain some old favourites such as creative arts and crafts activities, a youth information zone, chill out areas and the opportunity to win meet-and-greet tickets to see your favourite headliners.
The main Youth Beatz days will end a seven-day Fringe Festival that will see a number of fun community-based events taking place across every Ward area, providing towns and villages the length and breadth of Dumfries and Galloway with events for young people.
Youth Beatz 2023 is a free festival, and tickets are available now from the official Youth Beatz website – www.youthbeatz.co.uk
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 Foster Care Fortnight
Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Fostering and Adoption Team is celebrating Foster Care Fortnight between 15 and 28 May.
Foster care is at the heart of our communities, enabling children and young people to stay in their local community, close to everything that is familiar to them. This Foster Care Fortnight, the Fostering and Adoption Team wants to celebrate all the fostering community does to ensure children and young people are cared for and supported to thrive.
The Fostering and Adoption Team is hosting a number of drop-in sessions throughout Foster Care Fortnight, where members of the public can speak to staff and carers to find out what support is provided by the team, what being a carer involves, and also what the benefits of being a carer are.
Across Scotland, there is a need for 500 additional families to support children and young people, and this need is mirrored locally. The Fostering and Adoption Team is working hard to provide support to our region’s children and young people to keep them in their own communities, and not be placed with a foster carer outside of Dumfries and Galloway. To do this, the team is currently recruiting carers across the region. There is a need for short-break carers, interim carers and long-term carers for children and young people of all ages, as well as sibling groups and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.
Short-break carers support children and young people at weekends and holidays – either regularly or as one-offs. This is often part of a plan to help children remain with their families or with full-time foster carers. Interim carers support those in their care for up to two years. Long-term carers provide a permanent loving home for children for the rest of their childhood.
If you’d like to find out more, come to one of the drop-ins:
- Tuesday 23 May at DGOne, Dumfries, 4 to 6pm.
- Wednesday 24 May at Castle Douglas Community Centre, 4 to 6pm.
- Thursday 25 May at Hub 75, Stranraer, 4 to 6pm.
More information about venues and dates will be posted on the Team’s Facebook page. Search – D&G Fostering and Adoption.
You can contact the Fostering and Adoption team on 01387 260 068 or email fosteringandadoption@dumgal.gov.uk where experienced staff will be pleased to answer your questions and provide support and advice about taking the next step.
 Chair of Communities Committee, Councillor Ian Blake congratulating all four teams for their incredible achievements and to see the countless silverware that the teams will be showcasing to the public for the next year at Dumfries Ice Bowl.
Four local teams have ended their seasons by coming out on top and being crowned champions this year.
The Solway Sharks Ice Hockey Team has won the quadruple by winning the National Ice Hockey League North League, North Cup, play-offs and the National Championships.
The Solway Sharks Ladies Ice Hockey Team won Women’s National Ice Hockey League Division 2 North.
The Solway Sharks Junior Ice Hockey Team – the Solway Sharks U16's – won the Scottish Ice Hockey League, and Scottish Cup.
The Solway Stars team, part of Solway Sk8ing Club, has won Britannia Cup. Not only did the Stars win their category, but they became the first ever Scottish team to become ISU Junior British Champions.
These are tremendous achievements for all of the teams, and shows the dedication of all the players – as well as the team coaches, parents and carers, volunteers and the staff at Dumfries Ice Bowl.
Dive into New Opportunities
Dumfries and Galloway has a rich diversity of marine life and accessible shorelines, making the area increasingly popular for recreational scuba diving. This reflects the work our Council is doing in developing initiatives to promote marine leisure activities in the region.
One of the best ways to get into scuba diving is through a sub aqua club. Newton Stewart Sub Aqua Club was founded in 1992 and has since grown to a membership of 64, supported by funding from Foundation Scotland. The club has changed from a predominantly older male membership to a more diverse one with a lot of younger people joining and an even split between male and female members.
The training programme has also expanded with more instructors and 12 new beginners starting, as well as 13 existing members training for higher qualifications. Most dives organised through the club take place around the Wigtownshire coast from the Isle of Whithorn, where they have their boats moored. The diving consists of searching for new wrecks and scenic sites and photographing and recording what they find.
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Shoreline Management Plan Agreed
The Dumfries and Galloway Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) has been updated and was adopted by Dumfries and Galloway Council on 28 April.
The refreshed plan establishes a robust, evidence-based and long-term sustainable approach for managing the risk of coastal flooding and erosion along each part of the Dumfries and Galloway coast. A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) record have also been prepared as part of the plan.
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Moffat Mountain Rescue Team Hosts Charity Challenge
The 2023 Challenge is an important fundraiser for Moffat Mountain Rescue Team, which provides a voluntary rescue service in the eastern side of Dumfries and Galloway. The challenge offers a total of four walks leaving from Moffat and exploring the fabulous Moffat Hills, and takes place on Sunday 11 June.
Walks have been chosen by team members to provide something for everyone. You can see the map of each walk on the team's website to understand the requirements for each route and decide which is most suited to you.
The entry fee is £10 per person or a family ticket can be purchased for £20 (up to two adults and up to four children under the age of 16). Your ticket cost includes a limited edition Moffat MRT t-shirt and refreshments.
There is a minimum sponsorship amount of £10 per entry for taking part in the Charity Challenge.
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 Dumfries and Galloway Council Launches 2023 Design Awards
Our Council is delighted to announce the launch of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Design Awards for 2023. These were immensely popular in 2016 and 2019.
This year’s awards are for development or building works completed between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2023. The awards recognise, celebrate and promote design that provides new, restored and/or adapted buildings and places which have been conceived and developed sensitively, in a manner that will help the region meet its environmental goals.
Applications should be submitted by 5pm on 15 June 2023. For full terms and conditions go to: D&G Design Awards 2023
Coronation Celebrations
Communities around Dumfries and Galloway are preparing to come together to take part in locally organised events that will be both enjoyable and memorable to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort.
If you are hosting your own public event, street party or any other celebration to mark this historic occasion, please register any events that you are having on the interactive coronation events map, so that Dumfries and Galloway has a profile here and people can find out about your event.
One such event will be held at Corrie Parish Hall, Near Lockerbie, on Sunday 7 May from 1.30pm. There will be a buffet lunch with light refreshments along with fun for all the family.
We'd be delighted to have pictures and stories from around the region to share in our upcoming special commemorative edition of Community to mark the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort. Please send your stories and pictures to communitybulletin@dumgal.gov.uk
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