Best of National and Regional Wildlife Photography Goes on Show

best
Heron-preening-on-Dumfries-Caul.-DCC-Edmund-Fellowes

Dumfries Camera Club marks platinum year with festival exhibition while Gracefield hosts Britain’s best nature photos

Dumfries Camera Club is celebrating the start of its 70th anniversary year – during which it will stage a special exhibition as part of the Wildlife Film Festival Scotland.

At the same time preparations are underway at Gracefield Arts Centre to host the British Wildlife Photography Award (BWPA) exhibition, also as part of the festival.

Rod Wheelans, a long-time DCC member, will be this year’s club president and he too is 70 this year.

Rod said: “We are really looking forward to taking part in the festival and our exhibition, Creatures of the Nith, will be a great showcase of some of the superb pictures taken by our members and a celebration of the fantastic wildlife of our region.

“Our club is always up there amongst the best in competitions – out of more than 1,000 across Britain we are very much in the top 10. This has a lot to do with the friendliness of the club and the encouragement people give each other to help them achieve superb results.”

Other celebratory events and activities are being planned for the platinum anniversary and DCC, which currently has around 60 photographers, says it warmly welcomes new members.

The BWPA exhibition, which starts at Gracefield on 4 March and continues to 15 April. The winning image for 2016 is an underwater picture of a jellyfish taken in Scotland and among the other pictures on display is one of a sparrowhawk catching a bird on the wing, taken by outgoing DCC president Mick Durham.

Each year the BWPA attracts thousands of entries and the winners, along with the others displayed in its travelling exhibition include some of the most impressive, and often startling, wildlife photography around.

Dawn Henderby, Arts Officer based at Gracefield, said: “It’s fantastic that we will be the first gallery in Scotland to host the 2016 BWPA exhibition.

“It’s such an exciting collection, so we are expecting lots of interest. We’re obviously especially pleased that one of the pictures comes from a Dumfries photographer.

“Gracefield is also delighted to be playing a leading role as one of the key venues for the Wild Film Festival Scotland – which looks set to be a really impressive new attraction for the region.”

Sid Ambrose, WFFS Manager, added: “These two exhibitions will include some of the very best and most inspiring wildlife photography you could wish to see – and will reflect the astonishing amount of photographic talent we have in Dumfries and Galloway.

“It’s a real coup for us to bring the BWPA exhibition to Dumfries, and having that alongside Creatures of the Nith, will be give people a lot to look forward to. Even better is that club members will be giving talks and presentation, and even leading walks along the river, as part of the festival.”

WFFS takes place is a celebration of the natural world through film, photography, topical discussion, music and and more.

It takes place from 24-26 March and its central themes will be Amazing Journeys, Wild Places and Rewilding. Some 30 films are being screened, many of them winners of coveted Wildscreen Panda Awards (the wildlife Oscars).

Naturalists and broadcasters Simon King (Big Cat Diary) and Iolo Williams (Springwatch) will be among the 20 speakers along with Sacha Dench “the human swan” who flew a motorised paraglider 4,500 miles from the Arctic to the UK with migrating Bewick’s swans.

Key supporters of the festival include the Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Government and the European Union – LEADER 2014-2020 programme.

Nithsdale Monitor Farmers Prepare for Next Meeting

Farmers and others working in the industry are invited to a free meeting on the Nithsdale monitor farm, Clonhie, near Thornhill on Thursday 2nd March when lambing strategies and cow condition scoring will be among the main topics for discussion.

Host farmers Andrew and Aileen Marchant are due to start lambing their flock of 130 Texel ewes inside in March, with their main commercial flock of 770 North Country Cheviots and Lleyns lambing outside at beginning in April.

Mr Marchant said: “Every farmer knows that lambing is probably the busiest time of the year. We don’t bring in extra labour at Clonhie at lambing so Aileen and I work pretty flat out, though our children William (6) and Anna (4) are always keen to help out where they can!

“As we have limited labour, we prepare the sheds for the early lambers in advance and try to get the ewes in the correct condition to minimise problems.”

At the meeting next Thursday, which begins at 10.30am, Mr Marchant and Alistair Padkin will go through Clonhie’s flock management routine, comment on last year’s technical performance and discuss preparation plans for this year’s flock lambing.

The Marchants are happy with their scan results for this year, with the early lambing Texel’s scanning at 176% and the commercial flock scanning at an average of 164%, with just 45 sets of triplets expected. The North Country Cheviots scanned lower than expected this year so the Marchants have been working with their vet, Alistair Padkin from Nithsdale vets, to try to see what the problem might be and to take steps to resolve it.

Mr Marchant said: “Like lots of farms in the area, we are really short of grass at this time of year, so have had to feed our ewes concentrate to maintain condition in late pregnancy. We are keen to look at how we can review this in the future and the potential for growing forage crops at Clonhie.”

The Marchants also have a small herd of Luing Cattle which are due to calve outside at the end April and at the meeting on 2nd March, Rhidian Jones, facilitator for Nithsdale Monitor farm, with give an overview of the herd and talk about the importance of cattle being in the correct condition score.

Mr Jones commented: “Meeting the nutritional requirements of the pregnant suckler cow is vital, irrespective of the size of herd. The Dry Matter content and quality of silage fed is key to achieving strong healthy calves and milky mothers.”

The Nithsdale Monitor Farm is one of nine monitor farms that have been established around Scotland in a joint initiative by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The aim of the programme is to help improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Scottish farm businesses.

Clonhie will be hosting regular meetings over the next three years as the Nithsdale Monitor Farm, which will focus on technical and financial challenges that their business, and many other local farming businesses, face.

Colin Forsyth, who farms nearby in Bennan Farm in Tynron, has recently been appointed as the chairman of the management committee for Nithsdale Monitor Farm. He sees clear benefits for local farmers who choose to get involved with the Monitor Farm programme.

Mr Forsyth said: “At one of the most uncertain times for farming in recent history, this three-year project is an opportunity to bring farmers together, to pool their knowledge and to help move their businesses forward. Andrew and Aileen’s enthusiasm and optimism make them ideal hosts.”

After lunch in the Durisdeer Village Hall, Andrew Best of Watsons Seeds, who is also a member of the Nithsdale MF management committee, will share the results of the soil analysis that have been done on Clonhie and discuss the challenges and opportunities to improve fertility and sward production on the farm. The meeting will finish at 2.30pm

The Nithsdale Monitor Farm meetings are open and free for all farmers to attend.  Attendees will also have an input into topics covered, speakers invited to meetings and visits to other enterprises and businesses.

To book your lunch please contact Judith Hutchison, by 12 noon on Monday 27th February, on 07718 919055 or email judith.agridigm@icloud.com.

For more information about the monitor farm programme visit www.qmscotland.co.uk or cereals.ahdb.org.uk.

Bbc Commitment To Scotland Welcome, But Need For More Local News Vital

BBC

The BBC announcement to launch a new channel with a dedicated Scottish news programme which will create 80 journalism jobs has been welcomed by South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth.

The BBC made the announcement today (Wednesdays 22 February) that they intend to create a dedicated Scottish channel which will begin broadcasting in autumn 2018.

The new channel will host a dedicated, hour-long Scottish news show at 9pm, and around 80 new journalists will be hired.

South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth hopes the channel will increase regional coverage from areas like the South of Scotland which is often marginalised by central belt stories. The local MSP has written to the BBC urging them to increase both local radio and TV coverage for the South of Scotland. 

Colin Smyth MSP said, “This is a really positive move by the BBC. A dedicated news programme in particular will be a positive addition and the hiring of 80 new journalists is a boost to the industry. However, the debate for too long has been about whether Scotland has a so-called national Scottish six o’clock news rather than whether we have more local news. To be honest if you live in the South of Scotland a story about Glasgow is often no more relevant than a story about the north of England”. 

“What people want to see is more local news. I hope this new channel will ensure better coverage for areas out with the central belt and we will see more resources from the BBC put into local TV and radio. It’s more than 30 years since Radio Solway started in Dumfries and Galloway but sadly in the 90s we saw that basically scrapped and replaced with a number of local news bulletins as part of Radio Scotland. These bulletin are still hugely popular and I’ve written to the BBC following the announcement of the new TV channel urging them to revisit the decision to scrap Radio Solway and to increase both the local radio coverage and provide more local news coverage on TV”.

Silver Winter Beer Award For Castle Douglas Brewery

WINTER BEER AWARD

Sulwath Brewers Ltd from Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway were invited to enter the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) prestigious Winter Beer of Britain awards on the opening day of the National Winter Ales Festival, taking place in Norwich this ye

The team at Sulwath were overjoyed to have won Silver for “The Black Galloway” which is a 4.4% ABV Porter.

The Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition provides an opportunity to showcase the best traditional winter brews in the country, in categories including barley wine, strong old ales, porters and stouts.

The competition marks the first day of the National Winter Ales Festival, which is running from the 22nd-25th February at The Halls in Norwich. The Festival will feature a range of ales from traditional dark, strong winter ales to light hoppy ales. Visitors will have the chance to enjoy live music and visit local pubs across the city centre, which will be extending the festivities outside the Halls with “Fringe” events such as brewery tours and pub quizzes.

Following over a year of local tasting panels and regional heats leading up to the finals, Judging was carried out on Tuesday afternoon.

Allen Henderson owner of Sulwath told DGWGO ” We are absolutely thrilled to learn that we have won this years Overall Silver Award at the Camra Winter Beer of Britain with our Black Galloway, which is a robust porter/stout that derives its colour from the abundance of “Maris Otter” barley and chocolate malts used in the brewing process 4.4%ABV.  “ The ultimate Knife & fork job” .

Allen went on to say ” Congratulations to Moor Beer Co on winning Gold, & to Magic Rock Brewing for winning Bronze.
This has been a fantastic run for The Black Galloway as it is also the current Camra Champion Porter of Scotland. A great testament to everyone that works so hard at Sulwath. We are all so very proud. Thanks to everyone involved.”

Dumfries and Galloway Prepares to Face Storm Doris

Storm Doris

Dumfries and Galloway is bracing itself for Storm Doris bringing a very unsettled period of weather tomorrow (Thursday) following warnings issued by the Met Office.

The MET Office has issued an Amber ‘Be Prepared’ weather warning for snow and yellow warnings for rain and wind which will affect various parts of the region. The warnings are for adverse weather which will start this evening as Storm Doris hits the country and will continue overnight and for the majority of the day tomorrow.

Council teams have been making preparations and are ready to escalate response levels, but are asking the public to take appropriate measures to keep themselves safe.

Principal Resilience Advisor, Mark Thomson, said “The latest information received from the MET office shows that conditions are going to be particularly challenging during rush hour tomorrow. People should prepare for travel disruption. The forecast heavy rain will result in a lot of surface water on our roads, in addition to the challenges posed by snow fall by those areas affected. We want people to be careful on their journeys tomorrow so build in extra travel time to allow you to travel safely. The adverse weather may also impact on power supplies across the region.”
Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council Ronnie Nicholson said, “Our Council is preparing its teams to respond to the weather as necessary; we have good salt stocks and our gritters are on standby so that they can be sent out to communities when required. Our roads teams will be out and about responding to any localised flooding as necessary. Our care staff have been informed of the forecast weather and have been issued with their winter packs so that they are able to continue to go and provide care to service users across the region. Tactical Managers and our Partners will be alerted to the potential need for action should the impacts be more severe than expected.”

Plea Issued To Dog Owners To Be Thoughtful Of Livestock

DOG OWNERS

The NFU  Scotland are asking dog owners/walkers in Dumfries and Galloway to take precautions when out walking in the countryside in the coming months during lambing and calving season. 

 

Local Farmer Andrew McCornick who is  President of the National Farmers Union Scotland.said ” Incidents of livestock worrying – where sheep and cattle are distressed, chased, injured or killed by uncontrolled dogs – are increasing, and we, as Scotland’s largest lobbying organisation, are pleading with dog owners to ensure that their pets are kept under proper control.

 

In addition to this, we are asking dog owners to avoid fields where very young livestock is present, as per the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This is particularly relevant at this time of year, when lambing and calving is now underway. Where the public takes access to fields where older livestock is grazing, we ask that they keep dogs on a lead or under close control. They should also be aware of the potential dangers that cattle can pose, particularly where a dog is present.”

 

Andrew went on to say “2016 saw the highest number of livestock worrying incidents over the last seven years, with 179 incidents, up by 40 on 2015, and we are working to reduce this number year on year.

NFU Scotland is asking the public to ensure that when exercising their dogs in the countryside they ensure they do so responsibly, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

In addition to this, we would like to remind the public that, whilst the Union views the option as a very last resort, farmers do have legal rights to shoot a dog worrying livestock.  There have been some cases where much loved family pets have been shot, because they have not been properly controlled by their owners.

NFU Scotland does not wish to see more instances of this, and reiterates its plea that dog owners comply with their responsible access rights under the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.”

Godfather Of Rock Coming To The Ewart Library – Dumfries

Godfather

The Dumfries and Galloway Council run Ewart Library will host an evening with ‘The Godfather of Rock’ Tom Russell on Thursday 2 March at 7pm.

The ex-paratrooper, record shop owner and rock radio host Tom Russell will be sharing his memories from 35 years of rock music.
Tom Russell, who Ozzy Osborne describes as “the man who rocks Glasgow”, will be talking about his recently published autobiography, which is packed with tales of mischief in his younger years and some revelations about the big stars and their antics.
He’s interviewed and partied with some of the greatest rock bands, including Ozzy Osborne, Bon Jovi, Robert Plant, ACDC, Journey, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Alterbridge and many more. Tom has also championed some of Scotland’s best rock bands.
Councillor Tom McAughtrie, Chairman of the Council’s Communities Committee said;
“This is great opportunity to attend a unique book event and spend an evening in the company of man with many great stories of rock music through the years.”
Free tickets can be booked at Ewart Library, Catherine Street, Dumfries, DG1 1JB. Tel 01387 253820 or email yourlibrary@dumgal.gov.uk

Tributes Flood In After Loss Of Young Rugby Player

Police Scotland have named a  man found dead at Drummuckloch, Gatehouse of Fleet, on Tuesday 21 February 2017 as 22 year old Scott Carson.

Farm Worker – Scott was a keen Rugby player and played with The Stewartry First Team, The Club made a moving tribute last night on their Facebook page, they stated –

‘Stewartry Rugby Club is saddened to announce the death of 1st XV player Scott Carson.

Scott was a pivotal member of the 1st XV in their promotion and championship win this season. He will be missed by all at Greenlaw.

The club extends it’s condolences to all in Scott’s family.’ 

The post has received many comments from people sharing in the sadness of the tragic loss of a young man’s life.

Scott was also a very active member with the Stewartry Young Farmers who also made an emotional statement on their Facebook page-

‘Today marks a sad day for the club, not only have we sadly lost a valued member, we have lost a fantastic team player and a dear friend to us, as I’m sure you will all agree! Times like this remind you of who an what you have in life and the things that we all take for granted on a daily basis. To say we are all taken aback by the sad news is an understatement. On behalf of the club, our thoughts and prayers are with all involved’

Police Scotland stated ‘There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the Procurator Fiscal has been informed.’

Our thoughts and prayers go to all of Scott’s family and friends during this time of great Sadness.

 

McAlpine Urges ‘Next’ To Reconsider Out of Town Move

Next

Dumfries and Galloway MSP Joan McAlpine has written to Next urging them to reconsider a move to an out of town retail park.

The Local MSP has also asked for a meeting with bosses. Ms McAlpine hopes that a recent rates revaluation, which has slashed the store’s business rates, will encourage the store to commit to the town centre.

Commenting, Ms McAlpine said:

“The store is so important to Dumfries town centre and the council’s planning policy is supposed to promote the town centre first. 

“I am asking for a meeting with Next to urge them to reconsider.  The substantial reduction in business rates due to the revaluation should encourage them to reconsider such a move. But I also want to see what else they require in order to stay.  

“There has been a lot of buzz about regenerating the town centre in recent years, with organisations such as the Stove putting forward bold plans for housing, recent rebranding of the Loreburne Centre and measures in place from the Scottish Government to encourage investment.

 “There has been such hard work going into regenerating the town centre in recent years, and this would be a huge blow.

“I hope that we can find a way forward.”

Ms McAlpine has also written to council bosses asking for assurances that they are doing all they can to keep Next in the town centre.

She added:

“I have called on the council administration to provide assurances that they will do everything possible to encourage Next to remain in Dumfries town centre – including retaining the existing bulky goods criteria for Cuckoo Bridge retail park.”

Image courtersy of www.loreburneshopping.co.uk

Campaign Launched to Keep ‘Extraordinary’ Viking Hoard in Kirkcudbright

Viking Hoard

Campaigners are calling for one of the most spectacular Viking hoard ever discovered in Scotland to have its home near where it was found in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway.

Launched this week, the Galloway Viking Hoard Campaign (GVH), is backing Dumfries and Galloway Council’s (DGC) proposals for the spectacular finds to have their permanent or regular home in a specially designed exhibition space at the new Kirkcudbright Art Gallery.

GVH supporters are concerned that a rival bid by National Museums Scotland (NMS), which is seeking sole ownership, could see the collection disappear to Edinburgh and become just one small exhibit among thousands of others.

They point to the growing trend for significant archaeological and cultural items to be exhibited locally rather than in capital cities – boosting cultural tourism and enriching a region’s ability to celebrate its own distinctive history.

Cathy Agnew

According to campaign chair, Cathy Agnew, the fact that 2017 is Scotland’s designated Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology makes it an ideal moment for bold, fresh thinking.

She said: “This is a time for Scotland to take the lead. The Galloway Viking Hoard is quite extraordinary and should have pride of place in a specially created exhibition space in the new Kirkcudbright Art Gallery.

“Remarkable finds have so often been whisked away from the communities where they were discovered only to become a small feature in a large national museum. This is a very old-fashioned approach and in 2017 we should be making sure that regions fully benefit from their cultural riches.

“Having a collection of this kind in Dumfries and Galloway would act as a powerful magnet to bring in visitors from all over the country and overseas, benefiting the local economy by encouraging them to spend time here visiting historic sites.

Work is already underway on the £3.1 million project to convert Kirkcudbright town hall will be converted into a major new art gallery. The scheme has received support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Dumfries and Galloway Council, and other significant funders.

David Devereux, GVH vice chair, says: “Some of the items in the hoard are of breathtaking beauty and could become icons for the region, spurring people across the world to discover more about its distinctive past – and the people, lives, cultures and kingdoms that existed before Scotland was born.”

The hoard was discovered at an undisclosed location in Galloway by a metal detectorist in 2014 and had been deliberately buried over 1,000 years ago.

It includes more than 100 gold and silver objects, some already old when they were hidden. Among them are a unique gold bird-shaped pin, an enamelled Christian cross, decorated Anglo-Saxon brooches, armbands and an engraved Carolingian silver vessel. The items come from across Europe – there are even fragments of Byzantine silk.

Campaign supporters have been urged to send letters of support ahead of two crucial meetings taking place in coming weeks. The first is a meeting of the DGC Communities Committee on 7 March that will decide how best to take forward the council’s bid.

The second is a meeting of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP) which is due to decide the hoard’s future on 23 March.

It is understood that NMS has so far failed to provide any detail or guarantees about how much of the collection would ever be seen in Dumfries and Galloway, or even how often, if its bid succeeds.

If the hoard is given a home in Kirkcudbright, GVH is keen to see agreements reached for it to be displayed at other times in the NMS in Edinburgh and beyond.

 

 

 

1...1,4631,4641,465...2,037Page 1,464 of 2,037

DGWGO Sponsorship

Becoming a sponsor of DGWGO provides you with a targeted approach to your marketing, the opportunity to get your brand/ message in front of new potential customers and regulary remind your existing customers of your products and services.

Click Here To Learn More about DGWGO Sponsorship

Latest Articles

ABOUT DGWGO

DGWGO is a FREE community platform to keep everyone up to date with what’s going on in Dumfries & Galloway as well as promote the region worldwide.

News | Events | Jobs

© DGWGO Limited | Company Registration Number SC473466

DGWGO websites are powered by carbon neutral servers.

By offsetting the carbon emissions we are able to reduce our environmental impact and contribute to a healthier planet for all

dgwgo.com - moo4events.com - moo4jobs.com

Copyright © DGWGO Limited. All Rights Reserved