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DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY COUNCIL AIMS TO GET TOUGH ON DERELICT BUILDINGS

On the 9 September, Councillors will be asked to agree proposals which would ensure a proactive approach by our Council in dealing with derelict buildings across the region.

If agreed, our Council will proactively target buildings and / or sites which are either in serious state of disrepair, derelict or causing serious blight with a view to addressing their negative impact. The starting point for this is positive engagement with property or land owners to seek to identify solutions and investment required to make improvements.

Elected members will also have to decide on whether to resource this proactive approach as there are no dedicated staff dealing with this issue. Addressing derelict properties and sites is complex and time consuming, requiring input from across the Council including legal, property, regulatory, planning, housing and regeneration based services, but the new approach would mean an initial single point of contact for the public.

Other advantages include the ability to build more effective relationships with property and land owners, the identification of actions in conjunction with local communities and better partnership working to bring derelict buildings back into use.

Councillor Colin Smyth, Chairman of the Economy and Environment and Infrastructure Committee said:
“There is a real desire from councillors for a more proactive approach to dealing with the derelict properties that too often plague our communities. We need to get much tougher with the owners of derelict property, as the primary responsibility for the condition of these buildings rests with them. This new approach will mean a new mechanism for dealing with problem owners which includes using the full force of the law when required.”

http://egenda.dumgal.gov.uk/aksdumgal/images/att34159.pdf

 

THE SOLWAY SHARKS WEEKLY DGWGO ROUND-UP

Solway Sharks Ice Hockey Club

The Solway Sharks, sponsored by Building Craftsmen Dumfries are preparing to face off against the Elite League’s Braehead Clan in a challenge match on Wednesday evening and it is the start of the exciting new partnership between the two clubs.

The Solway Sharks organisation are delighted to have a game against the Aladdin Cup winners and to officially mark the start of the linkup between the clubs and are hoping to see many hockey supporters at the Ice Bowl on Wednesday evening as we showcase our mixture of youth and experience.

Sharks Head Coach Martin Grubb was happy to explain how the Sharks will utilise the game and the partnership “It is a great opportunity for our club to work alongside the Clan and help develop a working relationship both on and off the ice. We will be using this game to allow us to showcase our younger players who have progressed through our junior development system and give these players an opportunity to experience the highest level of hockey in the UK. We will be missing a few senior players due to work commitments but this is an ideal opportunity for us to prove that we have talent coming through and for the young players to get the chance to showcase their ability to Ryan Finnerty and the Clan as we look to build on the new partnership. Both clubs are keen to develop young British players and I feel that we can benefit from this game and use it as a learning experience.

We have some good experience in our team and we also have a proven track record of developing players and moving them onto a higher level so we are looking to take advantage of this initiative for the ongoing development of our players and club. We managed to win the League, the Cup and the Play-off’s last year and used a number of U20 players throughout the season and they all played regularly and gained good experience. I have a clear coaching philosophy to develop players and provide opportunity for players to learn the game and progress and if we can use the two-way system and Clan partnership for this purpose then our kids will benefit. The Clan are a very strong team and had a good weekend in the Aladdin cup beating Asiago so we know just how much we are up against things. The result is not important to me as long as we can learn from this game and see how pro teams play and see what it takes for a player to get to that level then it will have been a worthwhile experience. We will be exposing 16 and 17 year old players to this speed and level of hockey and that can only be a good thing for the long term and I will be urging our players to enjoy the experience regardless of the result”.

Everyone from the Solway Sharks are looking forward to the game after the Sharks warmed up with a 7-1 win against North Ayrshire Wild on Saturday and are excited to welcome our friends from Braehead and hope everyone enjoys the game and the young players we will have on show on Wednesday evening.

We hope the Braehead Clan players, management and supporters enjoy their night at the Ice Bowl and we hope it is the first of many visits. The face off is 19:30 and tickets are available on the door prior to the game.

 

WILD SWIM EVENT RETURNS TO GALLOWAY ACTIVITY CENTRE

Picturesque Loch Ken, near Castle Douglas will be the venue for the Galloway Activity Centre Wild Swim on Saturday 13 September with registration starting at 915am. There are 1km, 2km and 4km routes available as well as a juniors 100m route, which will include finishing on the slide in the inflatable Water Park.
The event was a great success last year attracting more than 50 swimmers.
Richard Herron, Director of the Centre explains more:
“We are looking forward to a brilliant event on Saturday the 13th, there is a growing trend for wild swimming and Loch Ken is the ideal stretch of water to try it for the first time because it’s part of a Hydro scheme and thus the water runs directly into the Loch from the Rhins of Kells. This means that the water quality is fantastic for swimming. The Loch is also safe as it is shallow and well protected. We had wonderful feedback from our swimmers last year and hope we can attract even more people to join us this year.”
Entry costs £22 for adults and £9.50 for under 12s and includes an optional donation to South West Scotland RnR, the local charity providing adventure holidays for injured service personnel.
For more information on the Wild Swim or to register to take part, please call 01644 420626 or go to www.lochken.co.uk/wild-swim

COMPANY BEHIND LONDONS OLYMPIC STADIUM TO BUILD NEW DUMFRIES HOSPITAL

Preferred Bidder for New Hospital Announced

NHS Dumfries and Galloway are delighted to announce High Wood Health ( Highwood Health are a consortium, with Laing O’Rourke , who constructed the 2012 London Olympic project, as construction partner, and Serco providing estate management services. ) as the preferred bidder who will build the new district general hospital for our region. High Wood Health will start construction of the new facility in Spring 2015.

Jeff Ace, Chief Executive for NHS Dumfries and Galloway said: “This is the major milestone that we have been working towards for months now, along with two bidders who have produced the final designs for the kind of facility that we need so that our staff can deliver the best care possible for our patients.”

Dennis O’Keeffe, Project Director said: “Following an intense period of competitive dialogue and evaluation, we are pleased to announce High Wood Health as our preferred bidder. Their proposed solution is one that brings to bear a consortium of designers and contractors with considerable expertise and resources to fulfil our expectations.”

GERMAN TREASURE UNEARTHED IN DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY

A recent geocache find in the Mull of Galloway can be tracked all the way back to Gifhorn, the German twin town of Dumfries.

The ‘treasure’ started out in Gifhorn, with the person hiding it aiming for it to reach Dumfries and Galloway. It can be tracked through many hands before making its way to the Mull of Galloway, where it was unearthed by countryside ranger Elizabeth Tindal.

The trackable features a picture of the replica of the windmill at Dumfries Museum, which is a feature of the international windmill museum in Gifhorn. Elizabeth brought it to Dumfries to show to Provost Ted Thompson, Provost of Dumfries, and Councillor Alastair Witts, the Council’s Twinning Champion.

Provost Ted Thompson said, “Geocaching is new to me and it’s fascinating to think how this item travelled to our region. We’d very much like to encourage more visitors to Dumfries from our twin town Gifhorn. This innovative use of modern technology encourages people to explore the countryside is certainly one way to do this and strengthen the links between our communities.”

Councillor Alistair Witts said, “We’re keen to encourage people in Dumfries and Gifhorn to build personal links. Geocaching sounds like a modern version of a message in a bottle, offering people a great opportunity to do this while experiencing our magnificent countryside.”

Geocaching is a treasure hunt, using GPS-enabled devices, in which participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then try to find the geocache container hidden at that location.

Geocaches are located all over the world, with geocachers often hiding caches in locations that are important to them, reflecting their interests or skills. They could be in a local park, at the end of a long hike, underwater, or just at the side of a street.

The only equipment needed by participants is a GPS device, or GPS-enabled mobile phone, to enable navigation to the cache.

In its simplest form, a cache always contains a logsheet to log a find. Larger caches may contain a logbook and a number of items, which turn the adventure into a true treasure hunt. Once a person has found the geocache and removed an object from it, they must leave something in the geocache of equal or greater value, write about their find in the cache logbook, and log their experience on the geocache website.

More information on geocaching is available at www.geocaching.com or from the Council’s Countryside Rangers, t: 07702 212 728

Photo link attached

71 YEAR OLD PENSIONER ASSAULTED AND ROBBED IN STRANRAER

Police in Stranraer are investigating a case of robbery where a 71 year old man was assaulted and robbed in his home in Belmont Road in Stranraer.

At around 2315 hours on Saturday 30 August 2014 the victim was at home when he answered a knock to his door. On opening it he was confronted by two people, one on whom overpowered him, knocking him to the ground. The victim had over £200 in cash taken from him and the two then left.

Whilst the victim was not injured as such he was left in a shaken and distressed state.

The two who called at the house are described as (1) male, about 30 years, 5’9” tall, stocky build, short cropped hair, wearing dark blue jeans a dark grey top and a dark blue hoodless rain jacket. The second person is only described as being about 5’7” tall and was wearing denim jeans and a hooded jacket. It is not known if this person was male or female. Detective Constable Garry Mitchell said “we are keen to hear from anyone who may have been in or around the Belmont Road area of Stranraer around this time on Saturday evening and who may have seen anything suspicious. This is a cowardly attack on en elderly man in his own home and we are asking for the public’s help to catch those responsible.”

If you have any info please call the police on 101

 

ARTIST CREATES 3D INTERACTIVE PORTRAIT OF WIGTOWN FOR BOOK FESTIVAL

A three dimensional portrayal of Wigtown’s buildings, landscape and people is being created for the town’s international book festival.

The colourful project, called Wee Wigtown, is being carried out by Anupa Gardner, who has been awarded the Spring Fling x Wigtown Book Festival Residency 2014/15.

The “town-within-a-town” will consist of 11 large panels, up to 2.5m wide, which festivalgoers can walk between to gradually discover more about the area.

Anupa said: “It shows the buildings and streets, the cherry trees, the blue hills, the harbour and all the other things which make Wigtown so special. It has been created using recycled materials donated by residents, and it even incorporates plants and earth from the town.

“It has a very playful element and I hope people will have fun walking between the panels and discovering all sorts of different places and features.

“We will also be playing recordings of local people talking about what makes Wigtown so special to them – the things and places they value like the County Buildings and the Martyr’s Stake.”

Visitors will be able to add to the work by writing down what Wigtown means to them and having their words incorporated into the panels.

Based in Edinburgh but originally from India, Anupa describes her work as a response to her surroundings which comes from her interest in people’s stories and their relationships with places.

The huge portrait will be displayed in the town’s Bowling Pavilion during the festival and Anupa will be on hand to talk to visitors.

Adrian Turpin, Director of Wigtown Book Festival, said: “We loved the idea behind Anupa’s proposal to create a portrayal of Wigtown using contributions from local people and festival goers.

“Wigtown Book Festival is very much rooted within the community and Anupa’s model will reflect this. We’re also delighted to be working so closely with Spring Fling again for the sixth time.”

Previous residents have included Astrid Jaekel, papercut artist; Deirdre Nelson, textile artist; and Joanne Kaar, grass weaver and artist.

The residency has gathered momentum as the book festival and Spring Fling, which is Scotland’s premier contemporary visual art and craft open studios event, continue to grow. This year the residency attracted 55 applicants from across the world.

Leah Black, Director of Spring Fling said: “Anupa’s work is a real delight and this project is very different from anything we’ve seen in Wigtown before.

“As well as taking part in the book festival she will also have studio space at next year’s Spring Fling so will have a chance to engage with even more visitors.”

Several other Spring Fling artists are taking part in this year’s book festival:

    Photographers Morag Paterson and Ted Leeming will talk about their project and book Zero Footprint. This involved taking photos from precisely the same spot in their hillside studio over the space of four years.
    Printmaker Lisa Hooper will talk about her journey from career conservationist to celebrated bird artist, using images and vignettes from her new book, First Impressions.
    Helen Ryman will encourage others help her in her mission to paint the festival’s largest oil painting.
    Children aged 7–11 year are invited to turn their stories and illustrations into magical trinkets in a workshop with jeweller Joanne Garner.
    Ailsa Black will run an illustration and card-making workshop.

Last year’s artist in residence, Astrid Jaekel, is also coming back to Wigtown Book Festival 2014. Her Wigtown Peep Boards project will match each bookshop in Scotland’s National Book Town with an international book town.

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY RACE ACE ROSS WYLIE ON BRINK OF BRITISH GT4 TITLE GLORY

Dumfries and Galloway  youngster places first in penultimate race at Brands Hatch

1 a 1 a ross wylie 7
Ross Wylie will head to the final Avon Tyres British Championship race next month on the brink of claiming the GT4 class title.
Wylie, from Thornhill near Dumfries, and co-driver Jake Giddings, placed their Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage first at Brands Hatch today (31 Aug) – the duo’s third victory of the season.
Wylie and Giddings, who started the two-hour race around the 2.433-mile “Grand Prix” track in Kent with a 19-point advantage, now lead the series by 29.5-points with a maximum 37.5-points up for grabs at the Donington Park finale on 14 September.
“The weekend couldn’t have gone any better with a lights to flag victory from pole-position,” reflected Ross.
“Our pace was good in practice and qualifying and so I was confident that we’d win.”
The combined qualifying times of Wylie and Giddings earned the pair their second GT4 pole-position of the year – with Wylie leading the two-hour race that had attracted a bumper entry of 31-car grid from the 1 a 1 a ross wylie 9green light.
Ross extended his class lead with consistently fast laps before a Safety Car period on 36mins earned the Scotsman a near one-lap lead over their GT4 rivals running second.
The race re-started and on 50mins, Wylie pitted to co-driver Giddings with a 70secs lead, Ross’s co-driver duly bringing the Aston home a comfortable 57secs ahead of the runner-up at the chequered flag.
Ross added: “I made a good start and Jake continued our good pace when he took over from me. It was all pretty straightforward with no dramas.
“We’re now almost 30pts ahead which means an eighth place or better will secure us the GT4 title. Both Jake and I are relaxed and cannot wait to get to Donington.”

3 YEAR OLD CHILD STRUCK BY CAR IN DUMFRIES INCIDENT

POLICE APPEAL FOR WITNESSES SERIOUS ROAD CRASH – DUMFRIES

Officers from Road Policing in Dumfries are appealing for information following a road crash in Dumfries on Saturday 30 August 2014.

Around 1530 hours, a man and his toddler son were driving along Rosevale Road, Dumfries. The man pulled over and got out the car to speak to a friend, however the toddler, aged 3, took off his seatbelt and stepped out into the road where he was struck by a red Peugeot.

The young boy was taken to Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow where medical staff describe his condition as serious but stable.

The driver of the Peugeot was uninjured.

Officers from Dumfries Road Policing Unit are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact them on the police non-emergency number, 101.

SCOTLAND’S AWARD-WINNING BOUTIQUE BOOK FESTIVAL INVITES YOU TO A LOWLAND FLING

Wigtown Book Festival 26 September – 5 October 2014

Scotland’s most innovative book festival celebrates its 16th year with its largest, most diverse programme to date. Taking place just a week after the independence referendum, Wigtown will, whatever the outcome of the vote, become a place for surveying Scotland’s changed political landscape.

The 2014 Wigtown Book Festival features more than 200 events over 10 days, including appearances by Kate Adie, Clare Balding, Margaret Drabble, Linda Grant, Jonathan Miller, Graeme Obree,Clare Short and Kirsty Wark.

The boutique festival will spread into the streets of Scotland’s National Book Town and the surrounding Dumfries and Galloway countryside. In addition to traditional author events and debates, the programme features farm and castle visits, cycling under the stars, whisky-tasting, food-foraging and a spectacular procession devised by artists’ collective The Stove. The procession will arrive by water across the Solway Firth and culminate in the creation of foundry at the heart of the town (Sat 27 Sept).

Visitors can also watch film adaptation of classic novels in a specially created 1950s-style cinema, attend nightly bedtime readings complete with hot chocolate, and be the only member of the audience for a special adaptation of Sara Maitland’s book How To Be Alone.

This year’s programme strands include Living Lowlands, an exploration of the distinct landscape, history and culture of rural southern Scotland and Book Ends, a celebrations of bookshops and readers through suppers, quizes, talks and theatrical happenings. Visual art, theatre and the best of Scottish food and drink are once again part of this ten day celebration.

A packed programme of evening events features theatre from John Sessions; comedians Fred MacAulay, Robin Inceand Francesca Martinez; music from the Kosmos Ensemble and the Bevvy Sisters; and renowned traditional singer Anne Lorne Gillies. Visual arts also permeates the festival including work from Spring Fling artist-in-residence Anupa Gardner and Natalie McIlroy’s Pippin project, which will celebrate Galloway’s ancient and now rare apple variety. The Pippin project will culminate with some 30 pippin trees being planted in gardens across Wigtown.

The Pippin Project is part of 2014’s central strand, Living Lowlands, a celebration of the distinct culture, landscape and history of southern Scotland – from Rabbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott to Galloway’s own SR Crockett and the great Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov, who traced his ancestry to the Borders.

Other taking part in the adult programme include fiction writers Anne Donovan, Kerry Hudson, Bernard McLaverty, Allan Massie, Natalie Haynesand Rachel Seiffert; nature writers Helen Macdonald and Dave Goulson; biographers and memoirists Damian Barr, Richard Benson, Henry Marsh, Chris Stewartand Anthony Sattin; historians Archie Brown, Michael Fry, Kenan Malik and Ben Shephard; and broadcasters Allan Little, Sally Magnusson, Ian Robertson, Angus Roxburghand Sarah Smith.

As ever, the festival will feature a dedicated teenage programme (supported by the Holywood Trust) and an extensive children’s programme. Among the children’s authors and illustrators appearing are Philip Ardagh, Steven Butler, Petr Horacek, Alice Melvin, Jonathan Meres, Shoo Rayner, Kristina Stephensonand Jamie Thomson.

Festival director Adrian Turpin said: “Scotland’s international image is often predominantly a Highland one. This year’s festival proof that the culture of Scotland’s rural Lowlands is just as vibrant. We’ve tried to produce a programme that is irreverent, intelligent and intimate – a literary party that is outward-looking but also responds to the place and people of this wonderful part of the country.

“We would like to thank all our supporters, especially the ScottishPower Foundation, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Creative Scotland, EventScotland and the Foyle Foundation for their support they have shown us this year which has been essential to the festival’s growth and success.”

Ann Loughrey, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “The ScottishPower Foundation is proud to sponsor one of the UK’s best-loved literary events. It is fantastic to be part of such a culturally rich festival that caters for everyone, and we are especially excited to be involved in a project that is created by young people, for young people.

“The ScottishPower Foundation is committed to supporting community programmes that inspire young people to get more out of education, arts, culture and science and we’re looking forward to another successful year at Wigtown.”

Councillor Colin Smyth, Dumfries and Galloway Council Events Champion, said: “The Wigtown Book Festival is always stimulating and thoughtful. There is a terrific line up of talent for the 2014 edition, with something for everyone, and that will encourage thousands of visitors to flock to Wigtownshire. The Council is proud to support the festival because we are so aware of its benefits to Wigtown, including the direct economic impact of more than £2million it generates for the regional economy”.

Michael Russell, Education Secretary, said: “Now in its 16thyear, the Wigtown Book Festival offers a rich and stimulating programme of events over 10 days, celebrating a wide array of literary work across genres, in the beautiful setting of Wigtown, in the heart of Dumfries and Galloway. The festival is of enormous cultural and economic importance to this area in the lowlands of Scotland, and its success has attracted thousands of visitors and generated much to the local economy. I would like to congratulate the organisers and sponsors of this fine event for the continued success of the festival.”

A PDF of the full programme can be downloaded fromwww.wigtownbookfestival.com

About Wigtown Book Festival History

The festival is now one of the largest in the UK and the second largest in Scotland after Edinburgh. Set up more than a decade ago to help regenerate an economically disadvantaged rural community, the event now contributes more than £2 million a year to the regional economy. Since becoming a charity in 2007, Wigtown Book Festival has more than doubled in size and won two national awards, a VisitScotland Thistle, the Arts & Business Scotland Community Award, and the inaugural Creative Places Award for communities under 2,000 people. The area around Wigtown has some of the darkest night skies in Europe and was recently chosen to become Britain’s first Dark Sky National Park. The Dark Sky designation is an international scheme to promote night tourism and recognise and protect the beauty of places unmarred by light pollution. Further information can be found at www.darksky.org.

Our supporters and funders

The 2013 Wigtown Book Festival is made possible by the backing of senior supporter the ScottishPower Foundation. Public funders include Creative Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway Council and the national events agency EventScotland, and is part of the Year of Homecoming 2014. Charitable supporters include the Foyle Foundation, the Barcapel Foundation, the Holywood Trust and the WS Wilson Trust, as well as many other generous individuals, organisations and local volunteers. A full list of funders and supporters can be found on our website.

Booking tickets

Tickets for the Wigtown Book Festival can be booked online at wigtownbookfestival.com or by phoning 01988 402036.

Accommodation

For a list of accommodation in the area go to the festival’s website http://wigtownbookfestival.com/visit/accommodation or contact the Tourist Information Centre in Newton Stewart on 01671 402 431.

Join us on social media

twitter.com/WigtownBookFest#wigbookfest

“Wigtown is so joyful, so charming, so utterly idiosyncratic,” Daily Telegraph

Scotland’s award-winning boutique book festival invites you to a Lowland fling

*Living Lowlands theme celebrates the best of Lowland Scotland’s culture
*16th year sees biggest ever programme of author talks and discussions

*More than 200 events over 10 days in Scotland’s National Book Town

*Supporting programme of visual arts, film, music, theatre and comedy

facebook.com/WigtownBookFestival

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