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Open Hoose – Nith Life

April 30 @ 6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Part of our Open Hoose Programme and inspired by conservation initiatives across the country, a new group wants to question and explore what exactly a Conservation Trust for the River Nith might look like. This is the ideal opportunity for those passionate about protecting one of our most extraordinary natural assets to get together and look for solutions faced by our River Nith.

At this month’s meet-up, we will be joined by expert botanist Chris Miles who will be talking about wildflowers and trees.

Ran by a community steering group supported by The Stove Network &  UNESCO Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Nith Life is a rapidly evolving initiative dedicated to engaging communities through creativity, technology and science to explore our connection to the River Nith, from source to sea. 

If you would like to stay updated and informed on everything the group are up to do follow their Facebook page HERE.

The Stove Cafe will be open for pre-event food and drinks from 5.30pm, the event will start at 6pm sharp.

100 High Street
Dumfries, DG1 2BJ United Kingdom
01387 252435
View Venue Website

Access Information: Level Access in rear of building through adjacent close to left-hand side of the Cafe (facing the front of the building). To ensure your experience with us is as best as it can be, please do let us know if you have any specific access requirements and we’d be happy to help. Please email Kevin or Sal on: [email protected] or phone 01387 252435 and speak with one of our team. We are able to provide walk-throughs of the building before attending our events as well as assign seating before your arrival.

Open Hoose – Nith Life

March 26 @ 6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Part of our Open Hoose Programme and inspired by conservation initiatives across the country, a new group wants to question and explore what exactly a Conservation Trust for the River Nith might look like. This is the ideal opportunity for those passionate about protecting one of our most extraordinary natural assets to get together and look for solutions faced by our River Nith.

Ran by a community steering group supported by The Stove Network &  UNESCO Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Nith Life is a rapidly evolving initiative dedicated to engaging communities through creativity, technology and science to explore our connection to the River Nith, from source to sea. 

If you would like to stay updated and informed on everything the group are up to do follow their Facebook page HERE.

The Stove Cafe will be open for pre-event food and drinks from 5.30pm, the event will start at 6pm sharp.

100 High Street
Dumfries, DG1 2BJ United Kingdom
01387 252435
View Venue Website

Access Information: Level Access in rear of building through adjacent close to left-hand side of the Cafe (facing the front of the building). To ensure your experience with us is as best as it can be, please do let us know if you have any specific access requirements and we’d be happy to help. Please email Kevin or Sal on: [email protected] or phone 01387 252435 and speak with one of our team. We are able to provide walk-throughs of the building before attending our events as well as assign seating before your arrival.

Open Hoose – Nith Life

February 27 @ 6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Part of our Open Hoose Programme and inspired by conservation initiatives across the country, a new group wants to question and explore what exactly a Conservation Trust for the River Nith might look like. This is the ideal opportunity for those passionate about protecting one of our most extraordinary natural assets to get together and look for solutions faced by our River Nith.

Ran by a community steering group supported by The Stove Network &  UNESCO Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Nith Life is a rapidly evolving initiative dedicated to engaging communities through creativity, technology and science to explore our connection to the River Nith, from source to sea. 

At this meet-up, Jan Hogarth Education and Community Engagement Officer for D&G Council, will be delivering a presentation and workshop on the new Solway Coast and Marine Project (SCAMP).

If you would like to stay updated and informed on everything the group are up to do follow their Facebook page HERE. 

The Stove Cafe will be open for pre-event food and drinks from 5.30pm, the event will start at 6pm sharp.

100 High Street
Dumfries, DG1 2BJ United Kingdom
01387 252435
View Venue Website

Access Information: Level Access in rear of building through adjacent close to left-hand side of the Cafe (facing the front of the building). To ensure your experience with us is as best as it can be, please do let us know if you have any specific access requirements and we’d be happy to help. Please email Kevin or Sal on: [email protected] or phone 01387 252435 and speak with one of our team. We are able to provide walk-throughs of the building before attending our events as well as assign seating before your arrival.

Open Hoose – Nith Life

January 30 @ 6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Part of our Open Hoose Programme and inspired by conservation initiatives across the country, a new group wants to question and explore what exactly a Conservation Trust for the River Nith might look like. This is the ideal opportunity for those passionate about protecting one of our most extraordinary natural assets to get together and look for solutions faced by our River Nith.

Ran by a community steering group supported by The Stove Network &  UNESCO Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Nith Life is a rapidly evolving initiative dedicated to engaging communities through creativity, technology and science to explore our connection to the River Nith, from source to sea. 

If you would like to stay updated and informed on everything the group are up to do follow their Facebook page HERE. 

The Stove Cafe will be open for pre-event food and drinks from 5.30pm, the event will start at 6pm sharp.

100 High Street
Dumfries, DG1 2BJ United Kingdom
01387 252435
View Venue Website

Access Information: Level Access in rear of building through adjacent close to left-hand side of the Cafe (facing the front of the building). To ensure your experience with us is as best as it can be, please do let us know if you have any specific access requirements and we’d be happy to help. Please email Kevin or Sal on: [email protected] or phone 01387 252435 and speak with one of our team. We are able to provide walk-throughs of the building before attending our events as well as assign seating before your arrival.

Categories
Opportunities Project Updates

Grow Your Own Event

Grants for up to £500 Available Unexpected Garden – Stranraer

Dandelion is a national community food growing initiative that is coming to Stranraer. It is part of the UK wide UnBoxed Festival; a UK wide celebration of creativity taking place in 2022. The project will see a new Unexpected Garden and event space created on the harbour front with the local community that brings together food, culture, ideas, music and technology, driven by the concept of sow, grow, share.

Our ‘Grow Your Own Event’ grants have been created to give the local community the chance to host their own events in Stranraer’s Unexpected Garden. We will offer groups and individuals up to £500 to programme their own event which should meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Improving wellbeing (physical and mental)
  • Enabling community participation in the arts
  • Promoting equality
  • Enabling participation in physical activity
  • Responding to the climate emergency and promoting sustainability
  • Increasing community access to the garden
  • Promoting the regeneration of Stranraer

Please note that we cannot accept applications promoting a specific religious faith or political party

Please consider the following when thinking about your event:

About the Garden

The Unexpected Garden in Stranraer can be found on the waterfront in Stranraer situated between Burns House and Ulsterbus. It is a community space where people can come together to grow food, take part in workshops, relax or attend one of our many events leading up to Harvest Festival in September.

  • The garden has a 6.5m x 6.5m stretch tent that can provide shelter for events and workshops.
  • We can provide folding tables and chairs as well as a battery powered PA and AMP system for live music and background music
  • We do not have any power supply to the garden so any power requirements will need to be brought in externally.
  • The garden and performance space is on the ground level with no stair access.
  • There is an accessible toilet on site for those who need it
  • Events must take place by 31 August 2022.

How to Apply:

Please complete our short application form to apply:

Deadline for applications: 30 June 2022

Alternatively, you can ask for a copy of the questions and submit a video, voice note or word document. Please email [email protected] for more information.

Categories
News Project Updates

What is Dandelion All About?

By Beth Piggitt

Beth Piggott – Emerging Creative Producer

Dandelion is a national creative community food growing initiative that is coming to Stranraer.  It is part of the UK wide UnBoxed Festival; a UK wide celebration of creativity taking place in 2022.  A new community garden, known as an Unexpected Garden, will be created on the harbour that brings together food, culture, ideas, and technology driven by the concept of sow, grow and share.  There will be 12 unexpected gardens across Scotland including floating gardens in Falkirk and touring garden on the back of an HGV lorry in Caithness. At the heart of the project, we want to reconnect people with the food they eat, how it’s grown and show them that in the unlikeliest of places food can be grown. There will be a summer events programme which will culminate in a harvest festival in September – with the aim of re-establishing it as a cultural festival for the town.

Why we’re doing it?

Dandelion is committed to empowering young people, inspiring the creative sector and offers new opportunities for the Stranraer community – which is why we’re taking part. Working in partnership, Stranraer Development Trust and The Stove Network are proud to be part of this new initiative that’s going to get hundreds of people growing their own food across Scotland, with over 400 schools taking part and a new archive or stories about growing, gardening and the unique history and memories of the town and local traditions.

What have we planned?

Our Unexpected Garden will be a hive of activity over the summer with a range of volunteer opportunities, events, workshops, and our take on the Harvest Festival. The garden will be a fantastic opportunity for people to come and learn the basics of food growing, try their hand at gardening and become part of a vibrant community; we are looking forward to welcoming new and experienced gardeners (I include myself in the latter).

People will be able to attend our free events and workshop programme over the summer which will encompass talks, music, crafting, music, and art, as well as veggie and herb plug giveaways and vertical farms on tour. Find out more about our programme of events on our Facebook Page.

Process up until now?

Over the course of the past few months, I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to chat with members of the community to hear what they want to get from the garden and the types of activities they’d like to see there. The garden will be a community project that will continue to evolve over the summer, and I am looking forward to watching it grow as more people visit the garden and leave their mark on it.

Part of my own personal process has involved moving up to Scotland from a small town in Leicestershire and coordinating the build of a new community garden; two things I never imagined happening in my wildest dreams; a comforting reminder that you never know what’s around the corner. I’m sure the garden will continue to remind me of that.

We’ve been lucky to have the support of Northern Lighthouse Board and CalMac who are donating old nautical items including a 27ft lifeboat and 2 big colourful ocean buoys to the garden to help us create a garden fit for a seafarer. Burns Real Ale and Dumfries & Galloway Council have kindly allowed us the space to bring the project to Stranraer and Ulsterbus, who will be providing access to water for the garden have also kindly housed 25 tonnes of soil & mulch.

Find out more about Unboxed & Dandelion

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