The Usual Place in Dumfries has been chosen as the inspiring venue for two special evenings of entertainment to celebrate and complement the UCI World Paracycling Championship events happening in the town on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th August.
The beautiful, welcoming venue on Academy Street will open its doors for two evening programmes of must-see talks and live music all celebrating uplifting themes to inspire and entertain anyone who lives in the region or is visiting for the championships – whether they have a serious interest in cycling or not.
The first night events run at 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday 9th August and feature tales of courage and determination as intrepid, thought-provoking speaker Josh Quigley, world record holding endurance cyclist, is joined on stage by cyclist, innovator and environmentalist Dr Kate Rawles to talk about what it takes to achieve the seemingly impossible in environments around the globe. The evening continues as renowned cycling journalist Trevor Ward talks to Markus Stitz about his incredible experiences circumnavigating the globe on a single speed bike, cycling 21,000 miles across 26 countries in less than a year.
The second night celebrates cultural talent from Dumfries & Galloway and begins at 6pm on Thursday 10th August with ‘A Writer’s Welcome to Dumfries’ featuring celebrated author and poet Hugh McMillan who will talk about his latest collection ‘Haphazardly in the Starless Night’. The evening will continue at 8pm with a bar and live acoustic music sets from Grant Dinwoodie and Jamie McLellan of the hugely popular Lucky Doves and Scottish/Canadian folk and Americana songwriter and performer, Sarah Jane Scouten.
Josh Quigley said: ‘The UCI Paracycling World Championships coming to Dumfries is a huge boost in getting people interested in the area as a cycling destination and I’m looking forward to sharing some stories to inspire even more people to get on their bike and explore what Galloway has to offer.’
Heather Hall, CEO at The Usual Place, said: “The Usual Place is known for its exceptional work in seeing beyond boundaries, encouraging resilience and believing in possibilities for everyone, particularly the thousands of young people with additional support needs who have flourished through the organisation’s many training programmes. We are also known for our warm welcome, beautiful building and community spirit. So, it therefore makes perfect sense for us to welcome audiences to experience our wonderful atmosphere whilst enjoying these fascinating, inspirational and entertaining events. We are very much looking forward to these special evenings.”
Tickets for individual events or whole evening tickets are now on sale only at The Midsteeple Box Office in Dumfries or online via TicketSource.
