Friday 7 February 2025
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.
Communities Come Together During Storm Eowyn
The people and communities of Dumfries and Galloway shone in their resilience and community spirit through the destruction brought by Storm Eowyn.
The storm brought down hundreds of trees, damaged buildings and left thousands without power.
However, communities in the region responded to the challenges by looking in on vulnerable neighbours, cooking hot food for those without power and organising electrical generators.
Hundreds of volunteers joined forces to remove fallen debris and help get communities moving again.
In Dalry, local people attending the emergency warm hub collected hot food and drinks to take to their neighbours who could not leave their houses. Many others used their log burners to heat food for elderly friends and neighbours. Dalry Community Resilience Team praised everyone who rallied round to help.
Caring people in Colvend and Southwick went back and forth taking flasks of hot water to those who had no power and filled hot water bottles to provide their neighbours some warmth. Colvend and Southwick Community Council thanked everyone for their response to the difficult circumstances.
Elderly people in Castle Douglas were visited by neighbours and electricity workers who knocked on doors while the storm continued on Friday night, to make sure they were safe.
Businesses and community buildings across the region were manned by volunteers in the aftermath of the storm to provide warm hubs for those needing warmth. Stoneykirk Community Council was one of many that provided hot showers while some properties were left without power.
Council Leader, Cllr Gail Macgregor praised the response from the community and offered her thanks to all the volunteers who helped the region to get back to normal in the week following Eowyn. Cllr Macgregor described the response as remarkable.
Local Schools Break Records With 'Leg It To Lapland' Challenge
School pupils and staff in Dumfries and Galloway rose to the challenge to walk, cycle, scoot or wheel to Lapland in December – in fact, they used their legs to travel around the world.
The 2024 'Leg it to Lapland' schools challenge saw a record 2467 pupils and 154 staff from 15 schools taking part. By using active travel to get to and from school and for other journeys, they racked up an astounding 26,000 miles. With a Scottish total of 59,000 miles, Dumfries and Galloway schools dominated the challenge. Special congratulations go to Lochrutton Primary School, which came out top in Scotland with an average of 33 miles for everyone taking part.
Teacher Mrs Galligan of Calside Primary explained how her Primary 3 class were inspired by the challenge:
“We were really keen to take part in the Leg it to Lapland Challenge this year to encourage the pupils to keep active throughout the colder weather. The children were inspired by the concept of logging miles to get to Lapland and this motivated them throughout the week.”
Feedback from her pupils was also very positive: “The sleigh bike was cool!"; "I like cycling to school. I do it every day.”
Primary 5 and 6 pupils from Crossmichael Primary were also enthusiastic about the challenge: “It was a fun and festive way to keep fit," "It showed how fit we actually are," "It was motivational as we had a distance we were trying to reach by the end of the week."
The challenge was part of the I Bike Schools Dumfries and Galloway programme funded by SWestrans through Transport Scotland’s People and Place Fund.
Applications Now Open To Help Shape The Future Of The South Of Scotland
People from across the South of Scotland are encouraged to apply for membership of the Regional Economic Partnership (REP).
The REP is the forum that brings together a wide range of expertise and sets the direction of the regional economy across Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders.
The REP is looking to appoint a total of eight external members, representing the following sectors:
- Four representatives from business and enterprise (private sector).
- Two social enterprise representatives.
- Two community representatives.
Part of the REP’s role will be the delivery of the Regional Economic Strategy. It will address housing, transport, and skills, which will be taken forward through dedicated subgroups.
Applications to become a member of the REP are now open until 9am on Monday 10 February 2025. REP members will be appointed for two years. Meetings will be held throughout the South of Scotland, and online, a minimum of four times a year. The role is voluntary, but expenses will be paid.
For an informal discussion, please email sosrep@sose.scot.
Hardie Engineering Confirmed As The Principal Sponsor Of The Scottish Curling Championships
With Dumfries Curling Ltd set to host the Men’s and Women’s Scottish Curling Championships at Dumfries Ice Bowl from 2 to 8 February, the organisation is delighted to announce Hardie Engineering as their principal event sponsor for 2025.
Dumfries Curling will host the Scottish Curling Championships in Dumfries from 2025 to 2027. The decision from Scottish Curling to award the contract to Dumfries Curling for the next three years was the result of a thorough evaluation of several bids from across Scotland, and was backed by the facilities, services and experience on offer.
Sponsors for this year's event include David Hardie Engineering Ltd, Curling Stadium Europe, Owen Farm Services, Woodland House Hotel, J&J Currie Ltd, AMD Contract Services Ltd, MKM, Robinsons, SRUC, Ninefold Distillery, Barbours, Sulwath Brewery, Genesis Occupational Health and Safety and Signright Dumfries.
Tickets can also be purchased at Dumfries Ice Bowl throughout the event or online.
Secondary Pupils Invited To Design Wellbeing Postcards
Budding young artists are invited to enter designs for wellbeing postcards for a competition that runs until 10 February.
The competition is run by Dumfries and Galloway Council in partnership with the Cameron Grant Memorial Foundation and NHS Dumfries and Galloway Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The winning three entries will be among several designs provided to all secondary pupils in the region, containing powerful messages about emotional and mental wellbeing. Each card will include region specific signposting to groups and services that provide wellbeing help for young people.
The Cameron Grant Memorial Trust exists to preserve and protect good mental health in young people. The main approach of the trust is to encourage all who are in any mental distress to speak up and ask for help. They do this by creating “signposts” with help information. The signposts are printed on items such as drinks coasters, wellbeing postcards and business cards. The signposts are customised so that they have the help information most important for the setting where they are used.
As of October 2024, the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust has produced over 1.4 million coasters and more than 230,000 postcards and business cards. They are in use across the UK.
Entries for the Dumfries and Galloway competition should be handed into the pupil's school office, their Youth Information Worker or any council Youth Work building by Monday 10 February. Entries should be hand drawn on A5 paper and include the pupil's name, school and class on the back.
Woodland Laboratory Established Near Dalbeattie
Bennel Wood, a 13-hectare site near Dalbeattie, is being established as a ‘Woodland Laboratory’ to explore different natural regeneration treatments and approaches.
The project will work with natural processes to explore how they can deliver wider financial, community wealth building and biodiversity benefits.
The woodland laboratory project is being led by Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to support trees, habitats and the people that depend upon them in our region. Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands will trial a number of different treatments on the woodland laboratory site, monitoring the impact this has on the naturally regenerating trees, and the variety of benefits that can result.
Baseline data will be gathered in 2025.
Precise trials are still to be confirmed but are likely to include different rates of thinning and tree protection, through to options like companion planting with different species and innovative treatments that work with natural processes.
Purchase of the woodland laboratory has been funded to date by a range of partners, including a £75,000 grant from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE).
Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands benefits from ongoing support from a range of partners, including Woodland Trust Scotland, Scottish Forestry and Dumfries and Galloway Council. Work by Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands is being boosted thanks to a major grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
St Michael's Church Begins Important Fund Raising Campaign
St Michael's Church in Dumfries has begun a crowd source campaign to raise £25,000 to improve the approach and entry to the historic site where Robert Burns is buried.
Visitors from across the world visit the Burns Mausoleum where the poet was laid to rest in 1796.
The church is actively looking to develop through community, tourism and heritage projects. They work closely with Dumfries and Galloway Council. Both public and private visits and tours are available to the church and graveyard.
You can contact Fiona Lee, Development Officer at St. Michael’s Church, about specific works or donations at info@stmichaelsdumfries.co.uk.
New Scots Portraits Exhibition
A new exhibition, set to open at Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries, shows the hope and resilience of people rebuilding their lives in Scotland.
New Scots Portraits features people from around the world who have found safety and peace in Scotland after their lives were turned upside down by wars and other violent conflicts.
The collection features people living right across the country, from the Western Isles to the Borders. It includes families from Afghanistan and Ukraine who are now settled in Dumfries and Galloway.
The exhibition is free and is open 10am to 5pm each day apart from Sunday and Monday.
New Scots Portraits is open now until 22 February in the Cafe Gallery at Gracefield Art Centre, 28 Edinburgh Rd, Dumfries.
Glenmidge Burn Open Day
The Glenmidge Burn Project is inviting people to attend their open day on 22 February.
Glenmidge Burn Project SCIO is a charity dedicated to learning about and protecting the ecology of the area in Auldgirth known as the Glenmidge Burn. In early 2024, the charity successfully purchased a portion of land near the watercourse and the group is now ready to introduce it to the wider public.
During the open day, there will be an opportunity to go to the land and take part in activities to learn more about the area. Guests can enjoy a light lunch at Keir Village Hall, provided by the Three Villages Cafe, and an afternoon of talks and updates from the charity trustees and other partners.
This event has been made possible through support from the Dumfries and Galloway Climate Hub, one of the national network of hubs supporting community-led climate action through funding from Net Zero Scotland.
There is a community bus available to transport attendees. Please go to the Glenmidge Burn Project website for bus times and the link to reserve your free ticket.
Essential Gas Works By SGN
SGN is undertaking essential upgrade work to the gas mains in the three roads end area of Dumfries.
This essential work needs to go ahead now to ensure the local community continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.
SGN are returning to complete the replacement of old metal pipes. This is part of a 30-year programme of work to install reliable plastic pipes.
The work started on 3 February 2025 and last approximately three weeks.
For the duration of the project, temporary four-way traffic lights will be at the junction of Bankend Road, Glencaple Road, Johnstone Park and Lindsay Terrace.
The following Stagecoach bus services will be impacted by this work, so please look at the Stagecoach website for the latest timetables:
- Stagecoach 5 – to the Crichton.
- 5a – Georgetown to the Crichton.
- 6 – Kingholm Quay.
- 6a – Glencaple/Caerlaverock.
If you have any specific enquiries about this project, please call SGN on 0800 912 1700 and their customer experience team will be happy to help.
Six Local Arts Organisations Share £2.3 Million Of Funding From Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland will provide £200 million in funding to 251 organisations across Scotland over the next three years.
In Dumfries and Galloway, six organisations share £2.3 million of multi-year funding. The organisations are:
- Cample Line £219,891.
- Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival £454,380.
- The Glenkens Community and Arts Trust Ltd £359,088.
- The Stove Network Ltd £597,500.
- Upland Arts Development CIC £293,850.
- The Wigtown Festival Company £388,900.
The Multi-Year Funding Programme has been developed in response to feedback from the culture sector and is designed to provide stable, long-term financial support to creative and cultural organisations in Scotland, covering core costs and programmes of work, from April 2025 to March 2028.
Stay Informed About Bin Collections
Have you had a missed bin collection, or do you want to check the latest updates on bin and recycling services?
The service status page on the council’s website provides real-time updates on any disruptions to bin collections in your area. Whether it’s due to weather conditions, road closures, or other unforeseen circumstances, you’ll find the most accurate and up-to-date information in one place.
If your bin hasn’t been collected as scheduled and we know about it, you can find what alternative arrangements our Waste Team has put in place. You can also report a missed bin collection quickly and easily through the website if there’s no notice of your missed collection already there.
Visit www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/bins-recycling/status to stay informed.
Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear
A pioneering new Scottish sustainable luxury fashion range, launched in the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, was given a starring role on the BBC’s The One Show.
Thanks to incredible community support for its combination of sustainable fashion and farming, the story of Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear, a social enterprise, featured on a dedicated BBC One Show film on Friday 31 January. It is still viewable on I Player.
The ethical knitwear company is believed to be the first global fashion brand to use the abundant and versatile Scottish Blackface wool for high-end clothing, and the only luxury knitwear company run as a social enterprise directing all profits into grassroots climate and sustainable development initiatives within the Biosphere.
It is hoped its work will help to drive sustainable farming, protect local rural heritage skills, and address the global climate crisis. The brand launched its first ever high-end, entirely British-made, sustainable outerwear knitwear range late last year, following a successful crowdfunding drive.
The brand’s starring TV role comes soon after wool produced by Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear was used by knitters at the A’ The Airts in Sanquhar to fashion a unique “coo-ture” woollen knitwear garment for the Highland cow fronting VisitScotland’s global winter drive to boost sustainable tourism.
|
