Friday 31 May 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.
A to Z of Dumfries and Galloway Council
X is for Expertise
This is Lori Downing.
Lori is a social worker in the Social Work Resettlement Support Team.
Lori’s role is to help New Scots and people displaced from their home countries due to war or persecution to build meaningful lives here in Dumfries and Galloway.
Showing a huge wellspring of compassion for the people she supports, Lori has worked her way from being a student on placement, through to a social work assistant, and then finally a fully qualified social worker once she received her academic transcripts in June last year.
Lori has demonstrated exceptional ability as a young social worker and took home the ‘Bright Spark’ award at last year’s Scottish Social Services Awards.
The Social Work Resettlement Support Team was established in 2022 to support people arriving in the region after fleeing the war in Ukraine and has since grown to offer support to a wide range of people resettling in the region.
From those who supported British forces in Afghanistan who are fleeing persecution since the country came under the rule of the Taliban, through to vulnerable people seeking asylum in the UK, the Social Work Resettlement Support Team helps to ensure people have what they need to recuperate from trauma and to work towards a healthy and happy life in Scotland.
Best part of the job? “The best thing is the work isn’t proscriptive. No two days are the same, and things can change in the click of a finger” says Lori, who has been praised for learning the political and legal context of the Ukrainian conflict at lightning speed. “If something changes in the conflict, it might have an impact on someone’s family member still in the home country or it might cause someone a lot of anxiety. It’s important that we keep up with the latest developments in the news, so we know how best to support people.”
Lori took her experience and skill in researching and learning the political context of resettlement even further and is helping to develop a policy framework for the team. Having been there right at the start while still on placement, Lori has seen the Social Work Resettlement Support Team grow and develop hugely in her time.
Fact: the Resettlement Team is made up of partners from the council’s Social Work, Community Planning and Lifelong Learning departments, the NHS, Crichton Trust, Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Association (DGMA) and Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL) to name just a handful. That’s a lot of people providing a lot of support…right where it’s needed.
Lori recalls starting out working on flip-chart paper with very little background knowledge of the Ukraine conflict. She soon contributed to the development of strong systems and processes for the team to work from. All of this while learning the ins-and-outs of the Ukrainian conflict and the many other global crises and the complexities of hundreds of different UK visas – an extremely daunting task.
Lori says the most fulfilling part of the role is being able to help people in desperate need and getting to build relationships with people from a range of different cultures. Lori recalls working hard to support an unaccompanied young person to travel from Ukraine to live with family friends in Dumfries and Galloway, spending weeks making calls to Ukraine and running the necessary background checks.
Once the young person safely arrived in our region and Lori made her first welfare visit to the young person she was supporting, she was met with a heartfelt hug – a moment she says she will cherish forever.
Lori, you are amazing and what you do makes a tremendous difference to so many. Thanks to you, people who have found themselves building a new life in Dumfries and Galloway can rest a little bit easier, safe in the knowledge that there’s a helping hand and a listening ear just a phone call away.
 D-Day 80th Anniversary
The D-Day Landings of 6 June 1944 was the largest seaborne invasion in history involving many thousands of brave men and women who had to leave their families and communities behind, not knowing if they would ever return. Along with the associated airborne operations, it marked the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe from Nazi occupation.
D-Day was of unprecedented scale. The allied forces’ staggering operation involved the coordinated efforts of more than 155,000 troops supported by 11,500 aircraft, and 6,900 naval vessels in an assault on five Normandy beachheads: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Integral to its success were years of planning, intelligence gathering and deception campaigns, as well as the courage of the thousands of brave men that stormed the beaches that day.
In order to get supplies and other materials ashore after the landings, the military had been secretly planning, testing and developing a system of temporary portable harbours. Garlieston Harbour was chosen as the location for the secret trial runs of the prototype harbours, known as the Mulberry Harbour.
Given the strategic importance of the role that Garlieston played, it has been chosen as the location to commemorate this significant anniversary in Dumfries and Galloway. Legion Scotland personnel from across the region will come together to take part in a series of events including a parade and wreath laying ceremony.
The parade will include a display of John Webster Vintage Army Vehicles and Pipers from the Lochryan Pipe Band. Children from local schools, community groups and council representatives will attend the event. His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Wigtown, Mrs Aileen Brewis, will unveil a commemorative bench and address the parade.
Find out more about D-Day 80.
Find out more about commemorations taking place at the Royal British Legion Website, including the event at the National Memorial Arboretum on 6 June at 2pm.
 Moffat Mountain Rescue Team Annual Charity Challenge
On Sunday 9 June you could rise early, pack your kit, prepare your lunch, lace up your boots and join a hundred other walkers – from the tiniest toddler stomper to the statesmen and women from the hillwalking community – and take part in the 2024 Moffat Mountain Rescue Team annual charity challenge.
Moffat Mountain Rescue Team is a charity and relies on the generosity of public donations to maintain the kit required to carry out emergency search and rescue activities. The charity challenge is the team’s most important fundraising event of the year and takes place on Saturday 9 June. The charity challenge celebrates the landscapes of Moffat and features Donalds, dales and tops.
Walkers will be offered a choice of four fully recced and way-marked routes that will lead them through hills where the eagles have been known to soar. The variety of terrain across the four routes offers something for all abilities and is a great opportunity to get out in the hills and enjoy some time recharging in nature.
Full details of the Moffat Mountain Rescue Team Annual Charity Challenge Event are available at https://www.moffatmrt.org.uk/events/charity-challenge-2024/.
 Volunteer with Youth Beatz Festival
Youth Beatz returns to Park Farm Showfield in Dumfries on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June, and there's still an opportunity for you to be involved.
There are lots of exciting volunteering opportunities available this year that can be tailored to fit individual skills and talents. From production and drama performance, videography and photography, media and promotion, set design, box office, event infrastructure or community engagement to name just a few – there's something for everyone.
If you are interested in volunteering at Youth Beatz Festival 2024, please express your interest through the online form.
If you would like more information, please contact the Youth Beatz team on 01387 260243 or at youthbeatz.info@dumgal.gov.uk.
 Moat Brae Needs Your Help
Moat Brae opened on 1 June 2019 as an international visitor attraction and Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling. What most don't know is before its current use, Moat Brae was sold to the Royal Scottish Nursing Institution in 1914 and became ‘Moat Brae Nursing Home’ and it continued as such until the late 1990s when it was sold on to become a hotel. A huge number of Dumfries residents will have memories of major life events taking place at Moat Brae during its time as a hospital.
In an attempt to recognise the significance of Moat Brae to the Dumfries community, Moat Brae plans to hold an exhibition of images and memories of its time as a hospital. However, to hold this exhibition Moat Brae needs just one thing – the exhibition.
Moat Brae plans to take images loaned to them by members of the public and create enlarged versions to hang in the exhibition gallery, along with artefacts and anecdotes. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to write down their 'Moat Brae Memories' and hang them on the memory wall. Younger visitors will be able to enjoy a range of interactive activities, dress-up stations and story prompts.
Moat Brae hopes to open the exhibition at the beginning of July so those visiting through the summer holidays can learn about this part in the buildings history.
To get involved and contribute, drop into Moat Brae where the team will arrange the loan and ensure your memories are accurately represented.
 Multiply: Free Maths Support in Dumfries and Galloway
Good maths skills are essential for better job prospects, higher wages and improved wellbeing. They also make everyday tasks like budgeting, understanding interest rates and helping your child with homework much easier.
Multiply is a free, easy-to-use maths support programme available to people over 16, and it's funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Free classes are available in various formats including in-person, online sessions, and one-on-one tutoring, ensuring that there’s a convenient option for everyone.
Ready to take the first step towards improving your maths skills? Register your interest.
Alternatively, email Multiply@dumgal.gov.uk, and a team member will contact you to discuss your learning preferences.
 Register to Vote
A general election has been called for 4 July. You now need to show photo ID to vote at a polling station at a UK Parliament election, this includes voters in Scotland. To register to vote go to: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
You can also call us on 01387 260627 or email ero@dumgal.gov.uk.
To find out more about how to vote and the options available, including applying for a postal vote, go to our webpage at: https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/how-to-vote.
|
