A pop-up shop will return to Dumfries town centre this week in a new community space where visitors can find out about the free support available when applying for benefits.
Voice and rights charity VoiceAbility will be based at The Standard in High Street from 10am to 4pm from Monday 3 March to Thursday 6 March to explain how they can support disabled people to access Social Security Scotland benefits.
Independent advocates from the charity will be among the first to use the new community space, the historic home of the Dumfries & Galloway Standard newspaper and part of a £7.3 million renovation led by community benefit society Midsteeple Quarter.
The VoiceAbility team will also be talking about the support available for parents, guardians, or carers who are accessing benefits for a disabled child, and for those who are disabled and want support to access social security benefits for their child.
The charity’s latest pop-up shop comes after a successful event held at The Press in September 2024, where golden labrador Theo was very much the star of the show.
The 13-month-old and his owner, advocate Maureen Jardine, will both be returning to the town centre for the March pop-up shop, where there will be goody bags and hot drinks for visitors thanks to a kitchen on site.
Maureen, who lives in Dumfries, said: “We’re really pleased to be back in Dumfries town centre to talk about the free Social Security Scotland benefits support we provide, so please do pop into our shop for a cuppa and a chat.
“We can support you to understand your options and needs, and do so in whatever way is best for you – whether that’s in person, online or over the phone.
“Me and Theo would love to see you, but if you can’t make it to the shop then you can find out more about the support available on our website or call us for free on 0300 303 1660.”
For more information about the free service VoiceAbility provides across the country, visit voiceability.org/socialsecurityadvocacy.
