Friday 25 April 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.
2208
This is the number of school pupils who took part in the Bikeability scheme during the year ending June 2024.
80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day
This year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War, with Victory in Europe (VE) Day being 8 May 1945.
The Second World War changed the course of history and involved significant contribution and personal sacrifice by many to defend our safety and security.
In recognition of this key milestone, a VE80 anniversary parade will take place in Dumfries Town Centre on Saturday, 10 May from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
The parade will be led by members of the Dumfries and Annan Town Bands, followed by representatives of our retired and serving armed forces personnel, members of our local cadet units and other uniformed organisation. The parade will also include a drive past and display of vintage army vehicles and the Royal British Legion Scotland (RBLS) Riders Branch – as well as Standard Bearers from RBLS branches and other organisations from across the region.
There will be a Royal Salute and Inspection of the Ranks by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenants and wreaths will be laid.
Council Convener, Councillor Malcolm Johnstone, will deliver the welcome and the Councils’ Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Archie Dryburgh MBE will act as master of ceremonies.
Flags will be flown at council flag flying locations across the region from Friday 2 May to Monday 12 May 2025.
Community events
Local communities and RBLS Branches across Dumfries and Galloway are planning a number of events. Here is a selection that we have been made aware of:
On Sunday 4 May from 2–4pm, a 1940s themed Tea Dance will take place at the McMillan Hall, Newton Stewart. For further information or to obtain tickets please contact .
Springfield and Gretna Green will commemorate VE day on Thursday 8 May at Stormont Hall at 8pm with an hour of 1940s music, followed at 9pm by the lighting of the Beacon of Peace.
On Thursday 8 May, a number of commemorative events are taking place as follows:
- Annan War Memorial at 10.45am.
- Dumfries War Memorial, St John’s Church at 11am.
- Moffat War Memorial, at 11am.
- Sanquhar War Memorial at 11am.
- Castle Square, Stranraer at 11am.
- Dalbeattie War Memorial, Colliston Park at 6pm.
- Newton Stewart War Memorial, Dashwood Square at 6pm.
On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 May, living history reenactors The Time Bandits will be at The Devil's Porridge Museum, as part of their celebrations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
At 11.15am on Sunday 11 May, a Service of Commemoration will take place at St Michael's and South Church, Dumfries. This will be followed by the Official Opening and Dedication of the Commemorative Garden of Remembrance on Brooms Road, opposite the church gate.
Springtime Celebration of the Arts
Scotland’s largest rural performing arts festival returns throughout Dumfries and Galloway between 15 May and 1 June.
The Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival returns with a world class programme combining theatre, music, dance and spoken word. The festival will bring artists and audiences alike together again, in and around venues across the region.
A two-weeks celebration of local and national artists that sits at the heart of Dumfries and Galloway’s arts scene, the festival once again boasts a packed programme of incredible work that reaches every corner of this vibrant region.
This year’s programme encompasses the best of Scotland’s performing arts scene with a focus on bringing audiences and artists together, to share in their love for the performing arts and connect with their communities. The festival will shine a light on the best that the region has to offer, through a meticulously curated programme of local and national talent, located in picturesque landscapes across Dumfries and Galloway.
The festival will open with a collaboration project between the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival and DG Unlimited to bring Conference 25 to the Easterbrook Hall on 15 May.
This years’ festival programme includes a host of new names alongside some familiar favourites. In theatre, Dumfries and Galloway based company Deliverance Theatre makes their regional debut with Goodbye Postie on May 26 at CatStrand, New Galloway. The festival will celebrate music in many forms, with the return of Cairn Chorus in Moffat, performing Songs of Renewal and Hope, and Sonic Labs, lighting up Dark Place Planetarium Kirkcudbright with an evening of cosmic soundscapes.
Loreburn Hall Celebrates a Year of Success
Since April 2024, Loreburn Hall has hosted over 60 events including everything from live DJs and private parties to boxing competitions, music gigs, craft fayres, tabletop sales and most recently Scotland’s Weekend of Strength.
Two part-time members of staff have been employed to support operations and the team have used the services of various local businesses and contractors to improve the building and infrastructure to make it more functional, customer-friendly and sustainable.
The good times continue in Loreburn Hall with a busy schedule of events planned for 2025. Events include Nith Valley Amateur Boxing Club Show on 26 April, GUN Hombres Acoustic Tour on 9 May, One Last Dance with The Lutras on 23 August to one of the biggest ever weekends of Warhammer in Scotland to be hosted by Dumfries Gamer’s Club and partners in Loreburn Hall from 19 to 21 September.
Bat Surveys Start for Flood Protection Scheme
Starting Monday 28 April last week in April, a team of ecologists will undertake surveys, following Bat Conservation Trust guidelines, to assess bat activity and species presence.
A number of surveys are needed as a single visit is unlikely to capture a complete picture of bat activity.
Surveys will include daytime surveys to complete preliminary roost assessments that will inform how they set up that evening. The ecologists will use specialist equipment such as thermal cameras, infra-red cameras and bat detectors from dusk and continue 1.5 to 2 hours from sunset.
The surveys will mostly take place on public land along the River Nith at 17 separate locations where the potential for bat activity is likely. The Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme area starts just north of the rowing club and extends as far south as Dock Park.
There may be times when surveyors need access to private gardens, land or greenspace to carry out these surveys. The council will contact the appropriate businesses and residents before survey work starts to explain what is required. Surveyors will carry ID badges and documentation with them at all times.
Follow-up surveys are planned for May, June and August. You may see the ecologists’ inspecting trees, buildings, and structures. This will involve tree climbing during May, so if you see them using ladders or ropes, please give them space.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is working with experts from Jacobs, to carry out the surveys.
For more information or updates, visit the Whitesands Project webpages, contact whitesandsproject@dumgal.gov.uk or call 030 33 33 3000.
Befriending Service Expands in Dumfries and Galloway
Due to the success of their local befriending services in Wigtownshire, A Listening Ear has gradually expanded their service across Dumfries and Galloway.
An event was recently held in Dumfries to raise awareness of the charity and to ensure those most in need can benefit from the befriending services on offer.
The Wigtownshire based charity, established in 2020 in response to the covid pandemic, has gradually seen an increase in demand for their befriending services, which has resulted in a growing team, additional services and regionwide provision.
What started out as a telephone befriending service, with a small number of volunteers calling friends and neighbours during the pandemic, now has 44 volunteers. The charity offers telephone befriending, in-person befriending and also an end-of-life companionship service across Dumfries and Galloway.
At the event held on 12 March, Susan Ribbens, Project Manager from A Listening Ear, formally welcomed and thanked Mrs Brewis, Lord Lieutenant of Wigtown, for agreeing to become the Patron of A Listening Ear. She paid tribute to all the staff and volunteers who support the work of the charity.
Dumfriesshire SWI Show and Craft Fayre
Members of the Dumfriesshire Federation of Scottish Women's Institutes will hold an exhibition of their work at Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries on Sunday 18 May.
The exhibition will include a craft fayre, with 20 local crafters selling their products. The exhibition will be open between 10.30am and 4.30pm. Entry is £3.00 on the door.
Repair Shop On The Road Look for Community Treasures
The second series of Repair Shop on the Road is looking for community items in Dumfries and Galloway that need repair.
The show is a road trip adventure in which Repair Shop experts travel around Scotland and England fixing and restoring community treasures, returning personal items to their former glory, and celebrating local crafting heroes.
The team are looking for any items within the community that can be fixed by the experts. Potential items could be a cherished local landmark, historical artefact, or an item with connections to the local community that’s in need of a restoration.
For anyone looking to contact the team with any community projects, they can email Ellie directly – ellie.cerexhe@ricochet.co.uk or email the general inbox – repair@ricochet.co.uk and put in the subject ‘OTR’ – followed by the item.
Advice Service Urges Action over Meter Switch-Off
Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice Service is urging households across the region with Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters, to contact their suppliers as soon as possible, as the service will end on 30 June.
Energy Adviser Zoe Graham explains, “it is really important for anyone with an RTS meter to arrange for it to be replaced by their energy suppliers before the service ends, as it could mean that their heating and hot water supply stops functioning as normal.”
If you aren’t sure whether you have an RTS meter, check for the following things:
- There may be a separate switch box near your meter with a Radio Teleswitch label on it.
- You use electricity or storage heaters for your heating.
- There is no gas supply in your area – this could be the case in rural areas and high-rise flats.
- You get cheaper electricity at different times of day – you may be on Economy 7, Economy 10 or Total Heat Total Control.
The Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) uses a radio signal to tell some older electricity meters when to switch between peak and off-peak rates of electricity. All electricity suppliers are contacting RTS customers to offer them a smart meter upgrade before the service ends on 30 June 2025.
You can find out more about the RTS switch-off by visiting the Dumfries and Galloway Citizens Advice website.
Stranraer and District Parkinson's Group
Parkinson's UK Scotland has launched a new group based in Stranraer and district.
The group is for people with Parkinson's, their families and friends. It offers a chance to meet others in an informal setting, share information and access support.
Further details are available from Margaret at mcavanagh100@gmail.com or Chloe on 0300 1233679.
 Culture Calling Event
The Dumfries and Galloway Cultural Partnership is holding their Culture Calling Event on Tuesday 29 April at Easterbrook Hall, Dumfries.
Culture Calling is the first event hosted by the Cultural Partnership inviting people from across the arts and heritage sectors in Dumfries and Galloway to discuss regional priorities and the ways that the partnership can work with the sector towards these.
The event will offer the chance to explore important topics influencing the sector, including place and community wealth-building, education and skills, health and wellbeing, visitor economy, and governance and fair work.
The evening will include speakers, discussion, entertainment and a film showcasing cultural projects from across the region.
This event will begin at 4pm and finish at 8pm, with refreshments included.
Scottish Gas Energy Efficiency Roadshows
British Gas have teamed up with Scottish Rugby Union to host community roadshows to give help and advice to local people on how they can transition to Net Zero.
The roadshows, held at local Rugby clubs, will include demonstrations of the latest energy efficient technologies such as Hive-Eco-Tech, air source heat pumps, solar panels and battery storage. There will be opportunities to discuss individual energy concerns with British Gas experts.
Anyone who attends will have the opportunity to win a Scottish Rugby prize bundle including tickets for an Autumn Nations game at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
The roadshow comes to Moffat RFC on 11 May between 11amand 2pm.
Free Heart Screenings for Young People in Dumfries and Galloway
The family of the late David Hill recently held their second cardiac screening event for young people in Dumfries and Galloway in association with Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) at the Cairndale Hotel.
The event screens people aged 14 to 35 for undiagnosed cardiac conditions that may lead to serious illness or even sudden death. Over 200 young people attended the free event and it was supported by members of the Queen of the South team.
Two further events will be held in Kirkcudbright in June and Dumfries in September. It costs £13,500 to bring a cardiologist and an ECG machine to an event and this is paid for by fund raising undertaken by David's family and friends.
The sessions fill up very quickly. Full details of how to book can be found on the Cardiac Risk in the Young website.
 Free Event in Newton Stewart Aims to Help Local Businesses Win Public Sector Contracts
Local businesses are invited to attend the second of this year’s Meet the Buyer events on Wednesday 30 April, from 9.30am to 12.30pm at McMillan Hall, Newton Stewart.
The free event offers a valuable opportunity for businesses of all sizes to connect with public sector buyers and support organisations, learn about upcoming tender opportunities and find out how to grow their business through public contracts.
You will be able to meet representatives from a range of organisations and services, attend short presentations and access practical advice on bidding and procurement processes
Spaces are limited: register now.
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