A new location has been confirmed for the re-opening of a post office in Dumfries town centre.

The post office will be within Warwick’s newsagents at 14 Great King Street, Dumfries

The Post Office website states –

“We are delighted to let you know that following the temporary closure of Dumfries Post Office we will be re-opening the branch on Tuesday 21 November 2023 at 13:00. This will be in a new location – Warwick’s Newsagents, 14 Great King Street, Dumfries, DG1 1BD”

“Customers would access Post Office services at two low-screened, open-plan, modern serving point that’s part of the retail counter. Working with the postmaster, we’d adapt the current store layout, fixtures and fittings to accommodate the Post Office till if needed.”

Energy Efficiency reports published

Two useful reports into the energy efficiency of our Galloway buildings have been published by the Glenkens Community and Arts Trust (GCAT).

GCAT commissioned Natural Power Consultants to research and deliver two technical reports. The first is about the energy efficiency of 11 Glenkens public buildings, including Town Halls, Village Halls and the CatStrand in New Galloway. The report is split into chapters, each designed to give each Hall committee sufficient information to apply for funds to make upgrades to these important community assets. 3 of the 11 buildings have already used the report to kick off their energy-efficiency improvements.

The second report took two typical Galloway homes – a post-war bungalow and a stonebuilt ‘Galloway Cottage’ and assessed the various upgrades that would make them cheaper and more environmentally friendly to heat. This is a big issue for the area, as nowhere in the Glenkens is on mains gas, and fuel poverty is becoming an increasing issue for many.

The reports are both published on the Glenkens Hub website, here: https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/energy-efficiency-and-decarbonisation-inglenkens-community-buildings

GCAT is hosting an event to answer any questions about the reports at the Smiddy in Balmaclellan at 7:30pm on Tuesday 19th September. All are welcome to come along and find out from Natural Power engineers how the report could save them money and carbon emissions.

Funding for both reports came from the Scottish Government’s Community Led Vision fund, administered by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Helen Keron, Executive Manager of GCAT, said, “These two important reports arose out of our Glenkens Community Spaces Network, where it had become clear that heating costs and energy efficiency were high on the list of priorities for many of our valuable community buildings. It’s been great to have the funding to allow us to commission these two technical reports that will support both Hall committees, home-owners and landlords to make effective and appropriate upgrades.” Zara Gell is a member of the Crossmichael Community Trust responsible for Crossmichael Memorial Hall which has already used the report as justification for a funding bid to a Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) fund. She said ‘Having the technical back-up of this report gave us the confidence to apply for the capital funds we need to make the Hall a much warmer and more pleasant place to come for the whole community. It was great that the Community Spaces Network could commission it on behalf of all of us, and it’s been so useful already, along with their continuing support.’

NHS Dumfries and Galloway chief executive Jeff Ace has notified the Board and the Scottish Government of his intention to retire on 31st March 2024.

Mr Ace started as a finance trainee in South Wales in 1986 and worked in Swansea, Cardiff and Bristol before joining NHS Dumfries and Galloway in 1999. Within NHS Dumfries and Galloway, he has held the posts of Acute Trust Finance Director, Director of Performance, Chief Operating Officer and, since February 2012, Chief Executive.

In a statement to staff, Mr Ace said: “Being Chief Executive of NHS Dumfries and Galloway has been an enormous privilege and thanks to everyone who’s given support and guidance during my time in post.

“We’ve been through quite a bit in the last few years – including new hospital builds and a global pandemic – and I hope you all enjoy some calmer working times after I step down in the spring.”

NHS Dumfries and Galloway Chairman Nick Morris said: “I’d like to thank Jeff for his many years of work with the Board and wish him all the best in his retirement. We will now begin a process of recruitment to this important leadership role.”

Mr Ace will not retire until March 31 2024, with conversations now starting to take place with the Scottish Government around the timelines and processes for appointing a new Chief Executive.

Let’s Make an Exhibition of Ourselves – Share Your Book Festival Photos Appeal for pictures and memories from Wigtown Book Festivals gone by Ten-day free exhibition in the specially created Iron & Pine Studio Visitors to Wigtown Book Festivals gone by are being invited to share their photos for a special celebratory exhibition.

This year’s 25th annual event, from 22 September to 1 October, is an ideal moment to look back at all the marvellous moments and memories that it’s provided.

Festival Artistic Director Adrian Turpin, who is putting together the Festival 25 exhibition, said: “One of the magical things about the festival is that a short visit to a small town in south west Scotland can offer such amazing experiences and be the source of happy memories they talk about and cherish for years, even decades, to come.

“We’re asking people to have a rummage through their photo collections for pictures that sum up the spirit of Wigtown Book Festival and share them with us.

“We’ll then include as many as we can in our free exhibition for this year’s visitors to enjoy.” Adrian is particularly interested in behind-the-scenes and informal images, maybe a selfie with a favourite author, a street scene, a record of a dinner, ceilidh or walk, or a photo of a group of friends attending the event.

And he’s asking for up to 25 words for each picture to explain what’s going on and why it’s memorable for you.

A selection of pictures will be used to create a showreel which will be projected onto a screen in a very unusual venue – The Iron & Pine Studio, created and donated by Iron & Pine.

The Dalbeattie company specialises in upcycling steel shipping containers and transforming them into luxury modular buildings of all kinds from holiday homes, residences and garden rooms to offices, bars, shops and event spaces.

In this case they are creating a chic, black-painted exhibition unit that will be taken to Wigtown on Tuesday, 19 September and located next to the County Buildings.

Luke Mazs, Co-founder of Iron and Pine, commented: “We see this as a fantastic opportunity to work with a team equally proud of their Dumfries and Galloway heritage.

“With the shared ambition of developing the rural economy in the south of Scotland, Iron and Pine are honoured and excited to be working with the Wigtown Book Festival to make this year’s event a resounding success.

“The Iron & Pine Studio will be presenting an exhibition that highlights the 25-year success of the festival and the collective voice of the community. We are so proud to be involved.” Sending your pictures

Digital images are preferred. If you want to submit a physical photo, it’s best to take a picture of it on a smartphone and submit that – which keeps the precious original safe.

Sending pictures is easy – just take a look at the instructions in the blog section of the festival website at www.wigtownbookfestival.com

Digital technology experts are being sought to help inform teaching in secondary schools in Dumfries and Galloway as the country’s tech industry experiences remarkable growth.

The Digital Critical Friends initiative has been set up by Scotland’s tech trade body, ScotlandIS, to address the industry’s skills gap and tackle high Computer Science drop-off rates in a time when one in ten jobs in Scotland is in the tech sector.

As demand for their services increase, Scottish tech businesses are continuing to face challenges, with 23% citing a lack of basic data skills and 37% reporting a lack of advanced digital skills among their existing workforces.

The Digital Critical Friends initiative aims to link industry professionals with Computer Science educators to support the alignment of lessons with industry best practices and offer students a holistic view of sector opportunities.

Tech professionals – from IT technicians to software engineers – are being encouraged to volunteer to take part in the programme that will help to shape schools’ curriculums.

Fiona Anderson, Project Manager at software development and digital transformation company PDMS, partnered with St Margaret’s High School in North Lanarkshire as part of the programme. She said: “It’s important for schools to have direct links with the tech sector so pupils can ask questions and get inspired by the potential career paths that they perhaps weren’t aware of previously.

“Giving young people an idea of the skillsets required for the various jobs in our sector can really help to give them direction for the future. For example, discussing how good attention to detail and problem-solving skills are key for analysis and testing jobs, or that design roles might be well-suited to those who are keen on art and design or who have a creative flair, can help students understand which roles in our industry might be a good fit for them.”

Karen Meechan, CEO of ScotlandIS, said: “While our well-established tech sector is growing, companies today are finding it difficult to recruit with today’s shortage of skills. Our mission is to engage and inspire young minds while bridging the skills gap.

“Scotland’s tech sector is dynamic, exciting and offers a brilliant career path for young people today. But given the fast nature of the industry, the changes in how we use and develop technology can’t always be reflected in how the subject is taught in schools. There is no better way to protect the industry’s promising growth trajectory, and job opportunities of school leavers, than to build a direct line of contact between schools and professionals.

“We’re looking forward to working alongside new industry partners as we work to equip students with industry-relevant skills.”

Becoming a Digital Critical Friend involves an initial face-to-face meeting with a local school. The volunteers then maintain regular contact with teachers to help inform teaching, with at least one in-person meeting per term. Additionally, mentors have the opportunity to invite teachers to their workplace, providing them with an immersive experience, observing their teams and gaining insights into ongoing project.

Karen added: “We understand that each professional and each school will be balancing different priorities, which is why we’ve ensured that the programme can be tailored to best suit the needs of each party. For example, we have a school on the Isle of Barra looking for a Digital Critical Friend, which they appreciate will most likely have to be conducted remotely!”

The Digital Critical Friends programme was first launched in 2021, and is now active in over six regions. After a successful start, ScotlandIS is now looking to expand the programme across all regions in Scotland.

To find out more about becoming a Digital Critical Friend, visit the ScotlandIS website.