Dumfries and Galloway Council has approved funding for thirty nine community events projects that span the length and breadth of the region. The total funding announced is more than £60,000.
The grant support comes from the Council’s Community Events Fund, which was established to encourage towns and villages across Dumfries and Galloway to consider planning new smaller scale festivals and events in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19 related lockdowns. Three of the projects to receive support are being funded through the Council’s budget to encourage grassroots festivals and events in Annandale and Eskdale.
There is great diversity and creativity in the funded projects, from sports open days, to community ceilidhs, gala weeks and many new micro-festivals. Many small communities such as Balmaclellan, Kirkmichael, Whithorn and Colvend responded to the new Fund to plan events projects to bring local people together.
Councillor Andy Ferguson, Chair of the Council’s Communities Committee said, “There was a wonderful response to the introduction of the Community Events Fund. To be in a position to announce funding for thirty nine separate projects shows the depth of commitment our voluntary sector has to supporting social and economic recovery across our region, and the quality of our Council’s partnership with events organisers.”
Councillor John Martin, the Vice-Chair of the Communities Committee said, “From Moffat to the Mull of Galloway, Kirkcudbright to Dalbeattie, a wide range of community events projects will take place this summer and autumn to bring local people and visitors together. This is a fantastic achievement for Dumfries and Galloway. The Council will continue to offer support and advice to ensure these projects can go ahead as planned, with full recognition of public health guidance and community consultation.”
The funded projects represent thirty nine steps in helping communities move on in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council has also recently published a Community Events Toolkit to provide information and guidance to community events organisers who are planning or considering planning a festival or event in Dumfries and Galloway. The toolkit is available upon request by emailing [email protected]
