Friday 5 April 2024

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.

HRH The Princess Royal Visit Marks Anniversary of Lockerbie Air Disaster

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited Lockerbie on Monday 25 March to mark the 35^th Anniversary of the Lockerbie Air Disaster and to visit the recently refurbished Dryfesdale Lodge Visitor Centre. 

Those receiving The Princess Royal at Dryfesdale Lodge included the Depute Convener and Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Councillor Gail Macgregor, and the Chief Executive, Dawn Roberts. 

Accompanied by the Lord-Lieutenant of Dumfries, Fiona Armstrong, HRH The Princess Royal’s visit to Dryfesdale Lodge Visitor Centre and cemetery provided the opportunity to meet with Dryfesdale Lodge trustees who have been involved in the refurbishment of the facility and to speak with Tundergarth trustees, local residents and guests of their experiences of the air disaster – and their acts of remembrance since. 

After having the opportunity to view the Pan Am 103 exhibition and displays at the lodge, HRH Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to commemorate the visit and signed the visitors’ book. Her Royal Highness and the other guests made their way to the Garden of Remembrance and Memorial Wall where Ms Armstrong said a few words about the Lockerbie Air Disaster before inviting HRH to lay a wreath to commemorate the 35^th anniversary of the Lockerbie Air Disaster. 

Katie Anderson, Lead artist; Valerie White, Director of Public Health, NHS Dumfries and Galloway; Lucy Bell, DG Creative Wellbeing Creative Health & Wellbeing Director; Kayla Milligan, participant.

New Mural Unveiled at The Willows – Children Young People & Family Centre in Dumfries

A new mural has been unveiled at The Willows Children Young People & Family Centre based on the Crichton Campus in Dumfries.

The artwork was officially unveiled as part of a special event on Thursday 21 March. The project has been coordinated by DG Creative Wellbeing, a ground-breaking project in Dumfries and Galloway delivered by regional arts organisation OutPost Arts that enhances people’s wellbeing, communities, and healthcare environments through artistic and cultural opportunities, events, and activities.

The DG Creative Wellbeing project’s Community Creative Wellbeing and Art in Healthcare teams worked in partnership with NHS staff based within the Willows, to facilitate the public art installation that will be on permanent display in the foyer of the building.

Lead artist Katie Anderson was commissioned by OutPost Arts to co-design the installation by engaging and collaborating with participants of a DG Creative Wellbeing project - Art Journal Project. To ensure that the mural improves the environment for staff, service-users and visitors, CAMHS Participation Lead Alison Telfer liaised with Katie and consulted with Willows staff and children and young people who access health related services – feeding their ideas and reflections into the final design.

Brighten Up Kirkconnel and Kelloholm Awarded

On Tuesday 19 March, Volunteers from Brighten Up Kirkconnel and Kelloholm attended the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society’s Awards Ceremony in the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh – and came away with a very well deserved Caley Group Award for services to gardening and horticulture.

Brighten Up Kirkconnel and Kelloholm’s chairman, Gary Hughes said, “We are delighted and honoured to have been selected to receive this prestigious award and thank Beautiful Scotland Judge, Colin Ainsworth, for his nomination.”

This award follows on from their success at last year’s Beautiful Scotland competition, when they were awarded a gold medal certificate, best small village award, and the community involvement award.

New Local Outcomes Improvement Plan Approved for Dumfries and Galloway

The Dumfries and Galloway Community Planning Partnership recently approved a new Local Outcomes Improvement Plan for Dumfries and Galloway with a refreshed vision and new supporting outcomes that unite partners and communities in helping to help tackle inequalities and build a thriving economy over the next ten years. The new vision is:

“To work in partnership to ensure a confident, ambitious, healthy and fairer Dumfries and Galloway for everyone who lives and works here.”

Some of the key focuses will be continuing to mitigate the negative impacts on the most vulnerable, linked to cot-of-living increases; supporting positive mental health and wellbeing; addressing skills and recruitment gaps and maximising employability.

Partners have also committed to concentrating joint resources around “place,” which will include tackling issues around local health inequalities; child poverty; digital exclusion; community transport; and climate.

The plan, which is required through the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, is available to view through our Community Planning website and is accompanied by five new localised data profiles that have been produced in conjunction with Public Health Scotland.

Kirkmaiden Community Council Makes a Difference

The newly formed Kirkmaiden Community Council has been in post for six months and have moved a number of exciting projects forward – which are making an impact within the community of Kirkmaiden.

This has been made possible through the generous donation from the Kilgallioch Community Benefit Fund. In Port Logan an accessible handrail on the steps to the beach has improved access for all, and in Drummore funds were given to Drummore Primary School for outside play equipment. 

Great work in such a short timescale.

Keir Penpont and Tynron Development Trust Open Phase 1a of Penpont to Thornhill Active Travel Path

Keir Penpont and Tynron Development Trust (KPTDT) has announced the official opening of Phase 1a of the PTATP marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony by Oliver Mundell, MSP for Mid and Upper Nithsdale.

Phase 1a, the first in a multi-stage project, has created a traffic-free path that stretches from Penpont to the Drumlanrig access road, and finished construction on 22 of December 2023. Phases 1b and 1c aim to provide a 4km path that will connect Penpont and Thornhill, enabling residents to safely walk, wheel and cycle between the two villages.

The path will provide more equal access for residents to reach Wallace Hall Academy and local colleges plus an active travel alternative to retail and leisure facilities, medical appointments and onward travel throughout the region.