A brief update on things DPAG since our last members note at the end of March.
Priority Actions
Our engagement work with the team at ARUP is nearing its conclusion. The four themed workshops (Town Centre Management, Town Digital, Entertainment & Cultural Offer and Active Travel) have all taken place and were well supported by the key delivery agencies, which was the main focus of the exercise.
The board is due to receive a draft report in the next couple of weeks and from there we will bring the core messages to DPAG members along with any prioritized actions or proposals. An early headline is that there are clear and strong linkages and cross-over between these issues, so any proposals for action need to be thought through in a joined-up way. As with most town centre issues, they don’t exist in silos.
Funding and The Market of Possibility
We have had another small but really welcome funding success. Our joint funding bid with The Stove Network to the National Lottery Community Fund has been approved. This is for £7800 to help support the forthcoming “Market of Possibility” programme to be held in July of this year. More details to follow, but essentially it will see a series of events aimed at promoting existing and new social and community enterprises and projects designed to drive creative projects, uses and businesses for the town centre.
Dumfries is already leading the way nationally on this kind of creative placemaking and the ‘Market’ programme will take thinking and action to the next level. It will also be a great opportunity for DPAG trustees and ordinary DPAG members to become involved and build our profile with all those that use, work, live and enjoy Dumfries Town Centre. We’ll let you know about how you might become involved as the programme comes together.
More Funding? Either Way a Great Town Centre Resource!
We’ve submitted another small bid to the Regionwide Community Fund to help refresh and further develop DPAG’s “Love Dumfries” interactive website. This was developed along with Dumfries Chamber of Commerce and The Guild as part of DPAG 1’s early COVID recovery work. It is a great resource and is still ‘live’ and you can visit here at www.lovedumfries.co.uk. Whether we succeed or not with this bid, the DPAG board feel this is a fantastic resource that meets so many needs identified in the “Dynamically Different Dumfries” action plan and the messages emerging from our work with ARUP. We have to see it better promoted, populated and subscribed to. Have a look if you haven’t yet done so and feel free to start promoting with friends, family, businesses, projects and events organisers. Oh, and it’s free to register your business, project or event!
As ever, let us know what you think about any of the above or can see ways in which you can help as a DPAG member.
Warm wishes from
Dumfries Partnership Action Group Board of Trustees