It is heartening to know so many people are working hard today for the future of Dumfries.
There is a staggering 97 organisations interested in the town centre now — we have only just begun mapping these projects and there are surely more to come — some of which are well underway, others are small beginnings, still others are realistic aspirations for our future, and surely far too many go unnoticed or under-supported.
Much of today’s media is saturated with stories on endless crisis and despair, routinely highlighting problems and ignoring potential solutions, all too often generating short-term reactions and quick fixes.
Dynamically Different Dumfries is a 10-year plan seeking long-term, meaningful, and practical solutions to fulfil its vision of a Dynamically Different Dumfries, where a wealth of history meets a bright sustainable future.
This is a community led vision for Dumfries town centre. Its development was a collaboration between Dumfries based businesses, community organisations and social enterprises who want to make things happen in Dumfries and to challenge the status quo.
After a long and thorough process in developing a document outlining what people want, we have begun the tough job of working out how best to deliver on those aspirations.
With the basic groundwork done, DPAG is now well-placed to become a driving force for creating pathways, collaborations, and partnerships to cultivate investment, growth, and community for a better outlook in Dumfries.
We look forward to continuing to work with our members and partners in 2023 to build on what Dumfries already has to offer for decades to come.
Happy New Year and Warm wishes from
Dumfries Partnership Action Group Board of Trustee
What DPAG has done so far
Having established the Dumfries Partnership Action Group (DPAG), a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), this year, the members elected a board of trustees to work on coordinating the delivery of the action plan.
First order of business beyond getting to know each other (few of us had meet previously), reviewing the work to date, meeting with key stakeholders, establishing practices and procedures to ensure effective governance, and meeting increasingly onerous regulatory requirements.
So far, in a short space of time we have:
- Established a Board framework along with reporting and recording procedures
- Held a strategy forum involving all Trustees, Dumfries & Galloway Council DGC), and Third Sector Group Dumfries (TSDG)
- Formed a finance group to seek vital funding
- Created a communications team to formulate and implement a communication strategy
- Established a working group on diversity and inclusion
- Started scoping plans to increase wider participation of under-represented sectors as trustees
- Working with DGC and TSDG, started mapping organisations and bodies already involved and influencing Dumfries Town Centre to develop into a Potential Partners Project.
- Begun work on a White Paper on future directions to be distributed to members early 2023 with public launch planned for Spring 2023
We are doing all this entirely on voluntary trustee effort with great support from Dumfries & Galloway Council colleagues and Third Sector D&G actively helping us get up and running. A key issue for next year though will be finding funding and other support to make sure we get the staff expertise we need for what is shaping up to be an extensive work programme.
One thing we are sure of, moving forward we will need all the help, goodwill, and collaboration of those passionate about the town’s future.
There is clearly a huge amount to be achieved from the Dynamically Different Dumfries document, and we look forward to working with DPAG’s members in deciding so what the priorities will be and making them happen.