Friday 26 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.
 A to Z of Dumfries and Galloway Council
A social media campaign like none before.
A to Z of DGC
“What is this?” the Communications Unit hears you ask. It's our new social media campaign that we're launching tomorrow (Friday 26 May) in the Community Bulletin, with the first posts appearing next week.
Our plan is to shine a light on services, staff, and the work that is done by everyone at our council that makes a direct impact on our residents each and every day – yet sometimes doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
We are very excited about this new campaign and are pleased to be sharing these plans with you ahead of the campaign kick-off.
The name: we’re calling it the A to Z of DGC. Less corporate, more social. We think there’s a real opportunity to promote all the things the council does in a fun, positive, informative, and engaging way.
Channels and frequency: it’ll be a year-long campaign (26 letters) with a new focus (letter) every two weeks. You’ll see it mainly on Facebook, Twitter and the Community Bulletin, which will profile one letter in each issue. There’ll also be an extended post to further expand on colleagues’ interviews, highlighting, for example, volunteering opportunities, courses, or information that the service thinks members of the public will find helpful.
Example: I is for I Do. For example, when we get to “I” we will work with our customer service team and highlight the work of one of the many talented civil celebrants, what their role is, what they love about it and some interesting facts that we would love to share. For example, did you know that 12% of all weddings in Scotland take place in the Gretna Registration office? We will also include some great imagery of Gretna, the civil celebrant, and the work they do.
⭐️This is about promoting the breadth of what we do as a council, the passion our staff have for their roles, the impact we all make, and the excellent services we provide.⭐️
How can you support this campaign?
If you use social media, please share widely and help spread the positivity, or encourage your communities to sign up to the Community bulletin by signing up to our newsletters on dumgal.gov.uk (bottom right of our website homepage).
Last, keep a look out for the first letter on our social media next week, and thanks for your time.
Getting Annandale Active
During 2018 and 2019, a number of public consultations were held in the Annan area to find out how the local community felt about their town centre. One of the main themes to emerge was about how to get around the area using active travel.
As result of these consultations, Dumfries and Galloway Council submitted applications to Places for Everyone – an active travel infrastructure programme funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland.
Our Council is delighted to announce that we have been successful in securing funding through Places for Everyone.
This funding will enable us to explore how active travel can be incorporated into Annan town centre and how we can link Gretna, Eastriggs, Annan and Powfoot to encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle in Annandale.
The aim for Annan town centre is to encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle for their everyday journeys, making car parking less prevalent and more effective. The priorities include creating a walking, wheeling and cycling network, improving the high street pedestrian experience, and creating a parking strategy.
The Village Links project will connect Annan, Eastriggs, Gretna and Powfoot by extending the existing cycle paths. There are also several core paths in the area which are used for walking, wheeling and cycling. By linking these with new paths, and upgrading some of the existing routes, this will allow safer travel for everyday journeys.
Consultants are now in place, and we will be holding community consultation events very soon. These will be your opportunity to have your say and put your ideas forward about getting around in Annan town centre, and how the villages of Gretna, Eastriggs, Annan and Powfoot should link up.
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Amazing Summer Fund Launched
Dumfries and Galloway Council is delighted to announce funding of £80,000 for local third sector organisations in Dumfries and Galloway to give children and young people a summer to remember. Following on from the successes of the Amazing Summer Fund over the last two years, we are once again seeking local organisations who will deliver free activities for children and young people aged 5–16 years for the duration of the summer holidays – allowing them opportunities to socialise, meet with and make new friends across our region.
This funding is to provide children and young people with activities over the summer. The programmes should enhance equity by widening opportunities for children from low-income families to play, socialise, get active and access a range of activities that broaden their experiences, supplement their learning and deliver positive outcomes and integrating food provision wherever possible. It is hoped that through the fund there will be a range of different activities and experiences for young people of all ages from communities across Dumfries and Galloway.
Third sector organisations from across Dumfries and Galloway can apply to this fund for between £500 and £7,500.
Applications are now open. The closing date for submission of completed applications is 12 noon on Tuesday 6 June.
If you have any questions on the application process or would like any advice and guidance, please e-mail AmazingSummer@dumgal.gov.uk or call 01387 260 243.
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Flora Murray: Suffragette, Doctor and Daughter of Dumfries
A new exhibition opens this week in Dumfries Museum. ‘Flora Murray: Suffragette, Doctor and Daughter of Dumfries’ will explore the incredible life of Dr Murray. It has been organised to mark the centenary of her death in 1923 and to commemorate her appearance on the Bank of Scotland £100 note.
Flora Murray was born in Dalton and worked at Rutherford Hall in The Crichton Royal Hospital, Dumfries. She made her mark as a Suffragette – organising a campaign against force feeding and caring for prisoners who had experienced this. In World War One, Flora and her partner Louisa Garrett Anderson established the first military hospital run by women for the treatment of male patients. The exhibition features loans from the London School of Economics Women’s Studies Library including objects from Dr Murray’s hospital on display in her hometown for the first time.
Dr Murray achieved a rank equivalent to that of Lieutenant Colonel so by the end of World War One she was the highest ranking woman in service. She and her partner in life and work, Louisa Garrett Anderson, were honoured with CBEs in 1917 for their wartime contributions.
The exhibition is on display at Dumfries Museum from 27 May to 11 November.
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BEM Award for Lifeboat Operations Manager
A presentation will take place on Tuesday 30 May at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Crewroom, Dee Road, Kirkcudbright. HM Lord-Lieutenant of The Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, The Lord Sinclair, will read a short citation and present the British Empire Medal to William Collins (known as John) who was awarded the British Empire Medal (civil division) in HM The King’s New Year’s Honours 2023 – for services to maritime safety.
Mr Collins is the Lifeboat Operations Manager at Kirkcudbright Lifeboat Station, RNLI.
Family and fellow crew members will be at the event, as will the Head of Scotland Region and Area Lifesaving Manager. Guests will make their way to the boathouse on the Torrs Shore in Kirkcudbright Bay for a demonstration launch to start the event, then make their way back to the Crewroom where the Lord-Lieutenant will present Mr Collins with his medal.
The Lord-Lieutenant will also present a RNLI long service award to Mr Collins's colleague, Robert Ross, to mark 40 years of service.
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