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Volunteers Tree Planters Needed For Upper Barr Community Woodland

Volunteers Tree Planters Needed For Upper Barr Community Woodland

Saturday 15th June is a milestone for the Upper Barr Community Woodland Site, near Corsock, which will receive its first trees! They will be planted as part of an innovative partnership between Foresight Sustainable Forestry Company (FSFC) and Upper Urr Environment Trust (UUET), a local community group.

Volunteers are sought to come and try their hand at tree planting, and can hear more about plans on the site. Tree Planting will be between 11am-3pm on Saturday 15th June, with light lunch provided for those on site at lunchtime!

 

The Upper Barr site, by Glaisters Bridge near Corsock is part of a groundbreaking 20-year lease between FSFC and UUET, giving the local community the chance to influence activity on the site Plans are underway for a variety of public amenity and biodiversity activities in coming months – from paths to benches and wildlife scrapes to reptile hotspots.

 

All work on the site is being funded thanks to support from a variety of sources, including a generous contribution from FSFC, EJD Forestry, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Glenkens & District Trust.

 

The site is next to the Glaisters Bridge on the Corsock to Dunscore road.

What Three Words location: ///plantings.attitudes.solving.

 

Plans are afoot to plant up to 250 trees during the session. These will be closely monitored for watering requirements after planting. All tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome! Partial attendance or full 11-3pm attendance is equally welcomed. Contact Joe Seed on jmseed@protonmail.com for more information or directions.

Lunch will be served at noon, please email in advance if you are likely to be keen for food!

 

 

McNabb Laurie, from Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands, and a Trustee of Upper Urr Environment Trust, said:

“Massive thanks to everyone involved for getting the project to this milestone – the community woodland will receive its first trees!

Join us this Saturday for some tree planting action – and to hear more about plans on the site.”

Vandals Damage Nithsdale Rowing Club

This week the Nithsdale amateur Rowing Club building at  Nith Avenue in Dumfries was covered in graffiti by vandals.

A spokesperson from the club told DGWGO “Unfortunately we were the target of vandalism on Tuesday night, along with Relationship Scotland building also. Some vandals have graffitied the walls and doors of the rowing club. The police have been notified.

We were in the process of tidying the clubhouse and outside area to get it ready for our annual rowing regatta on Saturday 22nd June where other rowing clubs from across Scotland and North England come to race.

It’s so disappointing that we now have this on our walls. Not a great welcome. We are struggling as a club for funding as it is and trying to increase our membership numbers recently holding open days and learn to row courses and trying to attract people to the sport.”

We as a club are appealing to any local people or businesses that could help out with paint donations and/or their time to cover the graffiti. If you help please contact us at nithsdale_rowing@rocketmail.com

Thanks
Nithsdale Rowing Club

Dumfries & Galloway Covid Victims To Be Remembered

Over the past two years, DG Unlimited and Dumfries and Galloway Council have been working in collaboration with greenspace Scotland and Commissioned Artists T S Beall and Katie Anderson to deliver Dumfries and Galloway’s contribution to Remembering Together, a national project that seeks to give each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities the chance to reflect their unique experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. During March and April 2024, the project team, alongside local community groups and families affected by the pandemic, planted over 400 trees at five locations across the region as part of a Dispersed Memorial Forest – at Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Moffat, Sanquhar, and Stranraer. The number
of trees planted corresponds to the number of people who died from Covid-19 in Dumfries and Galloway.

Now as the project enters its final stages, community gathering events will take place at each location in June, with activities including walks, story sharing, music and food. In addition, these gatherings will also see the installation of bespoke sculptural markers – including handwritten messages honouring lost loved ones, that share stories of loss and resilience gathered from individuals across the region during Phase 1 of the project. These handwritten words will be memorialised via inscribed text onto sculptural sandstone markers, and cast in bronze by artist Katie Anderson. The project will also include an online
archive sharing stories from those involved in the project, which is set to launch in July.

These gatherings also have heightened resonance during #Carer’s Week (10 – 16 June), as the project worked diligently to connect with unpaid carers, and highlight their voices and experiences during lockdown — throughout the development and co-creation of the memorial forest Communities are now set to come together in celebration of The Dispersed Memorial Forest as a new living memorial, with each tree planted honouring someone lost to COVID in the region, as the artists hope to highlight “the different ways communities grew together over the pandemic”. It is hoped that this memorial forest will provide not just a vital place of healing for the community, but also an important statement of intent for increasing biodiversity and sustainable development. Members of the public
across Dumfries and Galloway are warmly invited to the free community gathering events scheduled in Sanquhar, Moffat, Castle Douglas, and Stranraer.

Commissioned Artists t s Beall and Katie Anderson said, “We want to warmly invite
members of the public to join us at the different Gathering events across Dumfries and Galloway as we mark the opening of The Dispersed Memorial Forest. It’s been an honour to speak to so many people over the past two years, as we developed the Community Covid Memorial for the region.

We’ve worked to highlight the experiences and voices of unpaid carers and other key workers, alongside young people and other community groups throughout the project – and their handwritten messages and stories are included both in the sculptural markers at each Memorial Forest site, and the upcoming online archive.”

DG Unlimited – Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of the Arts, Charity No SC044658

Fiona Barr, Adult Carers Support Worker at Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre said, “It
has been a great privilege and an honor to have been involved with the project from the very early days. As an organization we feel strongly that Carers views are taken into account and that they “have a voice”. We were able to consult with Carers across the region in person and virtually to ask their opinion and hear their own personal stories around the Pandemic. All this has been recognised and added into the wonderful memorial that we have today in Dumfries and Galloway.
Working with Katie and t s has been such a lovely experience and our Carers really have
enjoyed the conversations and projects that they were invited to take part in. As this is National Carers week it is so important that we make sure that our Carers are recognized for all that they do and contribute to the community.”
John Saich, Remembering Together Co-lead at greenspace scotland said, “The response
across the country to Remembering Together has been extraordinarily moving, as artists have worked closely with communities, co-creating ideas around what have often been very personal stories of grief and loss. As elsewhere, our artists and delivery partners in Dumfries and Galloway have been exceptional in their commitment, taking care to reflect sensitively on the trust communities have placed in the project. The Dispersed Memorial Forest is a remarkable expression of that trust, and we are deeply grateful for the support shown by so many individuals, community groups and organisations in the region.”
Frank Hayes, Chair of DG Unlimited, Lead Partner, Remembering Together Steering Group
said, “It’s fantastic to see The Dispersed Memorial Forest at completion. From the early sketches and conversations, all of us on the Steering Group knew this was a special and important project. Now, the trees are planted and we have a Dispersed Forest around the region we can all enjoy and visit as a memori al to those we lost during the pandemic. Congratulations to the entire team, communities and contributors on a great job. A heartfelt thanks to all our partners, and to greenspace scotland and the Scottish Government for making this possible in our region.”

Remembering Together Dumfries and Galloway is commissioned by greenspace scotland, DG Unlimited, and Dumfries and Galloway Council with funding from the Scottish Government.

Communities across Dumfries and Galloway are set to gather as part of Remembering Together, a national project to honour those lost to COVID in the region.

Details on future community gathering events below:
Fri 14th June – Sanquhar, Bells Crescent Park (11am – 2pm) – photocall at 11:15
Thurs 20 June – Moffat, Moffat Community Nature Reserve (6pm – 8pm)
Thurs 27 June – Castle Douglas, NTS Threave Nature Reserve, (6pm -8pm)
Sat 29 June – Stranraer, Galloway Community Hospital (11am – 3pm)

From Festival Fun to Community Giving: Youth Beatz Donation Project Returns

Youth Beatz 2024 will once again continue expanding their Donation Project.

Festival Attendees are invited to donate foodstuffs, toiletries, school uniform or pet care or pet food items (if they are in a position to do so). In 2023, over 1,000 items of School Uniforms and 1,950 items of food and pet food and care items were donated over the event weekend, equalling 56 crates of donated goods to 4 providers across the region.

Entry to Youth Beatz Festival continues to be free, and the event has an important role in supporting local communities across Dumfries and Galloway. Youth Beatz are looking for attendees to support the Donation Project if they are able, by bringing along and donating any of the items listed below as a donation to local food providers and community organisations.

Items can be dropped off at the entrance to the Festival at the Donation Drop Off Point, managed by volunteers over the event weekend.

For this year, Youth Beatz are hoping for Donations of any of the following items:

Food Items & Toiletries:

Tinned meat/vegetables/fruit; tea/coffee; biscuits; cereal; tinned soup; pasta (dried); toiletries, baby products and rice.

School Clothing & Supplies

School Uniforms including blazers, ties, polo shirts, coats, trousers, shirts and shoes (these can be branded); school bags; stationery and any other items relevant to Primary and Secondary Schools.

Pet Care & Food Items

Dry/canned food items; adult dog and cat food; pet treats; pet beds and pet toys.

Once again, the Youth Beatz Festival will have a Period Dignity Product Stall in the Youth Information Marketplace which will supply free period products to attendees over the event weekend. In 2023 the project distributed 16,742 items.

A Dumfries and Galloway Council Spokesperson said: “The Youth Beatz Donation Project is an important aspect of Youth Beatz that makes a huge difference to children, young people and families across the region. All donations that we receive over the weekend will be distributed to local organisations and food providers throughout Dumfries and Galloway, and we’d like to thank people in advance for their kindness through this initiative.”

A reminder that donation to the Youth Beatz Donation Project is not a condition of entry.

Strawberry Tea Raises Over £600 for Kippford RNLI

A new fundraising event for 2024 saw around 60 people enjoy a delicious strawberry tea in Kippford village hall in aid of the RNLI.

 

The sun shone for this summer event and visitors were treated to a selection of cakes, scones and strawberries with cream. The fundraising committee worked hard to ensure that everyone was well fed and looked after.

 

Over £600 was raised for the RNLI with guests paying on arrival. Many people also took time to visit the RNLI shop giving them a very busy day too. As the charity that saves lives at sea the RNLI relies entirely on public donations to fund it’s lifeboats and lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland. 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the creation of the RNLI and the charity hopes to inspire the next generation of lifesavers and supporters whilst taking time celebrate the history and present of the organisation.

 

Cheryl McLellan, Kippford RNLI fundraising chair said: ‘This is the first time we have organised a strawberry tea and it was lovely to have some sunshine and lots of happy visitors. Last week was Volunteers Week 2024 and I can’t think of a better way to showcase the importance of our volunteers in putting on great events like this to raise money for the RNLI.’

 

A grateful thanks goes to Tesco for supplying strawberries, Bainloch Deer Park for baking delicious scones and Roan’s Dairy for the milk. Everyone at the RNLI is grateful for the support of local businesses and the community at these events.

 

Wigtown Musicians Record Album With Who Legend ‘Pete Townshend’

WIGTOWN MUSICIANS RECORD ALBUM WITH WHO LEGEND 'PETE TOWNSHEND'
Image credit - Martin Tompkins

The Bookshop Band, from Wigtown, are set to release a new album produced and recorded by Pete Townshend.

The rock legend was “blown away” when he was gifted a set of Ben Please and Beth Porter’s CDs that he got in touch and suggested working together.

In the end Townshend (himself a former bookshop owner) not only produced the album and recorded it at his own studio but played on every track.

He said: “I listened to the CDs in my car as I was travelling. I was blown away, completely blown away. I got into the whole Bookshop Band technique, which is just two people making this sound like a symphony orchestra. It’s quite extraordinary. Each song was special in its own way. So, I reached out.”

Emerge, Return is a dark album of 13 songs, all written by Ben and Beth, responding to themes including the oppression of bodies, free will and free speech that are explored in books such as:

  • The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood
  • Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
  • and The Book Of Dust, by Philip Pullman.

It is already attracting praise with Shaun Keaveny describing it as “Hypnotically beautiful” on Radio 2’s The Folk Show and Zoe Ball describing the band as “amazing!” on the Breakfast Show.

The title comes from a song inspired by Robert Macfarlane’s Underland, which glimpses our underworlds and morality in the scale of deep time.

Ben said: “It’s been a rollercoaster working with Pete Townshend, really exciting and not something we could ever have predicted happening.
“He brought his great musicality and experience to the recording process, doing things we’d never have thought of ourselves, offering a different perspective on the songs. That’s the value of working with a great producer.
“And the fact that he ended up playing on every track added an extra dimension – I think that fans will hear his influence woven right the way through the album.”

The band, which has worked with many celebrated authors, plays gigs in small bookshops across the UK, USA and Europe. It is much admired among writers, with best-sellers such as Kate Mosse (The Ghost Ship) specifically asking them to write songs for the book launches.

The band has existed largely off-grid, occupying a creative space between the music and book worlds. Their approach is to read books, respond by writing a song, then bring the work to new audiences by performing in (mostly independent) bookshops.

They have previously recorded 13 albums, which have been sold at gigs and online. Emerge, Return will be their first wider, commercial release.

The 28 June release will take place alongside a podcast series of conversations with the authors of some of the books which inspired its tracks (15-22 June). It will be supported with a full, 71-date UK tour by Ben and Beth, mostly in indie bookshops – starting at Glastonbury Festival with a set at Toad Hall.

Beth said: “Ben and I are really excited to be touring this album. Playing these songs live and getting to share stories in bookshops is what this band is all about.”

The Bookshop Band was formed in Beth and Ben’s former home city of Bath in 2010, as a collaboration between a group of musicians and local indie bookshop, Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights. The duo now live in Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town, where they are important contributors to the well-known annual book festival.

Wigtown Residents Invited To Explore Sense Of Place With The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere

The officer team from the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere will be in Wigtown on 24 th June, inviting local residents to join a Sense of Place workshop and explore the opportunity to join the Biosphere Communities scheme.

The scheme is designed to build social and cultural connections alongside learning opportunities that support villages and towns to save energy, reduce waste, and protect natural habitats in the area. There is also potential for communities to develop a sustainable tourism offering through promotional campaigns such as Scotland’s UNESCO Trail. As a first step to becoming a Biosphere Community, Sense of Place is a way for locals to share their favourite places and activities, and the aspects of Wigtown life that most inspire community pride.

The workshop will take place at Machars Action, 26 South Main Street, Wigtown, between 6:30 – 8:30pm on Monday 24 th June. Light refreshments will be provided and there is no requirement to book in advance.

Galloway and Southern Ayrshire was designated a UNESCO Biosphere in 2012, a title which sets the region alongside UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Creative Cities, and Global Geoparks. UNESCO Biosphere status recognises the unique natural and cultural heritage of southwest Scotland, and its array of opportunities for sustainable development. The GSA Biosphere Partnership is a registered Scottish Charity (SC044137) delivering projects in conservation, education, sustainable development and climate resilience. It is supported by core funding from South of Scotland Enterprise and three local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Project Support Officer Ribh Gallacher will be one of the team facilitating the Wigtown workshop this month. Ribh says, “We have been spreading the word about the Biosphere Communities scheme in and around Wigtown through spring, including at the recent Local Place Plan launch, and are delighted by the positive response. Anyone who wants to learn more about what a UNESCO Biosphere is and does is warmly invited to our event on the 24 th , likewise anyone who loves Wigtown and its community, and would like to spend an evening celebrating what makes this such a special place to live.”

More information about the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere is available at

www.gsabiosphere.org.uk. For any enquiries about the Wigtown in the Biosphere workshop, please email info@gsabiosphere.org.uk.

New Garden Waste Collection Scheme Gets Approval

New Garden Waste Collection Scheme Gets Approval

Elected members at Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Communities Committee met on 4 June to consider a report and approve recommendations on the implementation of a kerbside service for the collection of garden waste.

The report follows extensive public engagement in 2021 and 2022 that showed strong support for a garden waste collection service, and will contribute to the Waste, Recycling, and Reuse Strategy for 2023-2030. The report details the benefits of a garden waste service including benchmarking against other local authorities, best practice, as well as a sustainable service model and risk mitigation.

With the opportunity to secure funding from the Recycling Improvement Fund (RIF) for 2024/25, the council’s business case was submitted it to Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) on 10 May. This submission is contingent upon elected member agreement – now granted by Communities Committee – and will be communicated to ZWS before the RIF decision-making board meeting on 20 June. Approval from the RIF board is essential for the council’s bid to proceed.

Following the introduction of the kerbside collection of dry recyclates (paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and food cartons) and food, a survey conducted from September to November 2022 revealed that 75.5% of the 2,702 respondents supported the addition of a garden waste service. With 73.8% satisfaction with the current dry recyclates collection, this new service aims to build on existing positive feedback.

The council’s recycling rates improved from 30.1% in 2020 to 45.1% in 2022, but there is still a significant gap to meet Scotland’s national recycling target of 70%. Introducing a garden waste collection service is a crucial step toward this goal.

A council spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting recycling in Dumfries and Galloway. The introduction of this scheme will support our targets to improve recycling rates across the region and will complement our existing kerbside collections. Following the committee’s decision, we will now move forward and, should our bid to the Recycling Improvement Fund be successful, work to launch the scheme in Spring 2025.”

The Communities Committee proposals will now be considered at Finance Procurement and Transformation Committee on 18 June.

Local Community Fund kicks off rural education research in the Glenkens

Local Community Fund kicks off rural education research in the Glenkens

Glenkens and District Trust has appointed the community research organisation, CoDeL, to research and report on developments in rural education.

As local and national debate continues around high quality education in the context of rural depopulation and falling school rolls, Glenkens & District Trust (GDT) took the step of commissioning research, in order to provide access to information about the wider picture beyond the Glenkens, and learning about how other communities facing similar circumstances are responding.

Following a tender process, a community research organisation based on Uist, Community Development Lens (CoDeL), was successful in its bid to carry out the work. CoDeL is committed to community development in a rural context, paying particular attention to the creation of opportunities for younger people to influence and reshape their local communities.

CoDel’s work will involve case studies of other rural areas, working with local organisations, collating existing research and building a network of interested parties. It will culminate in a report that will inform the debate and offer new ways of thinking for community groups on the topic of education, both for the Glenkens and beyond.

Fiona Smith, Chair of GDT, said:
“GDT is pleased to have appointed CoDeL to carry out this work. CoDeL is extremely knowledgeable about the current challenges faced in rural communities and the need to address the underlying contributory factors to depopulation. They demonstrated that they understand education’s role in a thriving local community and we’re confident CoDeL is going to bring its expertise, values and creative thinking to the local context here in Glenkens.”

CoDeL expect to be making links with local stakeholders over the next few months and will also be liaising with the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan Steering Group’s Education Subcommittee, which will be discussing education and learning in the Glenkens through a community lens.

Thomas Fisher, Director at CoDeL said:
“We are always pleased and encouraged to be commissioned by a community organisation. It shows a community committed to staying at the heart of local decision-making and to finding new ways to make the best decisions for their residents. We look forward to working alongside the Glenkens community, learning more about the local context and hopefully bringing our own expertise to bear.”

While the final report will be a valuable tool in informing thinking and discussion, it is also hoped that the process itself will be an important one in which local people can connect, build links and share ideas.

 

College launches Net Zero Skills Centre

Dumfries and Galloway College (DGC) is delighted to announce the launch of its new Net Zero Skills Centre.

 

The college has been awarded funding by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to provide: “Support for expert business advice and support programmes at the local and regional level, including support for decarbonisation, climate adaptation and circular economy advice”.

 

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and will provide £400,920 of funding for local investment by March 2025.

 

DGC’s Net Zero Skills Centre will allow the college to offer funding to Dumfries and Galloway-based businesses to upskill workers by supporting the ‘Roadmap to Decarbonisation’. As a result of taking the courses on offer, trades and professionals in the area will be able to offer their services to the general public in order to help make their homes more sustainable.

 

At least 50% of homes in Scotland will need to convert to a low carbon heating system, such as heat pumps, by 2030. To meet this installation target, it’s estimated that Scotland will need as many as 15,500 heat pump installers.

 

Dumfries and Galloway businesses can apply for funding until March 31, 2025, for an array of courses across many disciplines including: Retrofit, Insulation & Building Environment, Heat Pump Systems, Electrical Energy Storage Systems, and Solar Thermal Domestic Hot Water Systems.

 

There are approximately 2.5 million homes in Scotland — with only 278,000 currently using a renewable or low-emissions heating system, highlighting the extent of the retrofit activity required to future-proof buildings.

 

The demand for new green skills and increased innovation is acute. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has suggested around 22,500 new roles will need to be created by 2028 to achieve the Scottish Government’s net-zero goals.

 

Joanna Campbell, Principal, Dumfries and Galloway College, said: “Dumfries and Galloway College is pleased to present the new Net Zero Skills Centre.

 

“The green agenda and tackling the climate emergency is one of the key priorities for DGC. This project, funded by the UK Government, emboldens our ethos to help design and implement green skills courses for workers in carbon‑intensive sectors.”

 

Bill McMillan, Director of Skills & Marketing, Dumfries and Galloway College, said: “Dumfries and Galloway College is grateful to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for enabling us to upskill our local businesses to take advantage of the opportunities the transition to net zero affords.
“The region’s businesses must take advantage of this offer if the economic benefit on offer is to stay in the region and not be squandered to other areas in the UK.”
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