Every individual in a community holds their own understanding of what movement means to them. For some, it is the daily rhythm of a commute, a medical appointment, or the school run. For others, it is a vital bridge to a friend or family member, and the emotional lift that comes with staying connected. Each journey carries its own truth—sometimes revealing the beautiful impact of movement on our wellbeing, and other times exposing the frustrating barriers that hold us back.
Over the past six months, Moving Stories has been a shared journey of discovery for people all across Dumfries and Galloway. What began as a series of local conversations across nine different places has grown into something much greater: a collective understanding of how we move through this region, and a powerful statement of what our communities need to feel connected, confident, and able to thrive.
Moving Stories began as an invitation to look at travel through a completely different lens. We wanted to create spaces across the region for people to reflect on how movement impacts their everyday lives, and the physical and emotional factors that shape their choices. All too often, public conversations around transport are centred around infrastructure—focusing solely on the mechanics of what does or doesn’t exist. Moving Stories set out to flip that script, putting people, lived experience, and community agency firmly at the forefront.
Across Annan, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Langholm, Lockerbie, Stranraer, and Whithorn, communities gathered in creative ways to map out what travelling through this region really feels like.
Together, across 39 collaborative workshops and 10 public events, communities collectively brought together 191 personal stories—sharing insights into the everyday realities that shape our choices. We discovered together that safety, accessibility, confidence, and convenience are the true deciding factors in whether a route gets used, whether a service feels reliable, and whether sustainable travel feels genuinely possible.
Every single story shared held deep significance, serving as a vital piece of a larger, regional puzzle. Instead of looking at these experiences in isolation, we found that each individual voice helped build a shared map of Dumfries and Galloway.
We discovered that the challenges faced in one town echoed those heard across the region, just as the bright ideas developed by one community sparked inspired conversations in another. Throughout this process, communities have joined forces to share deep local knowledge, challenge old assumptions, and collectively redefine how transport is understood. In doing so, local people haven’t just participated in a project—they have laid the foundations for real change.
Today, investment in sustainable transport is becoming increasingly visible across Dumfries and Galloway with new physical infrastructure emerging in the form of multi-modal transport hubs, progressing cycle routes, and advancing bus networks. Yet, the collective voice of our communities serves as a vital reminder: physical infrastructure is only part of the picture.
Just as significant is the deeply human need to feel confident, welcome, and powerful enough to claim these spaces as our own. That sense of belonging and agency isn’t something that can be manufactured or delivered from the top down—it must be grown, side-by-side, with the people next to us. It requires an anchor—a constant grounding where relationships, trust, and understanding can flourish.
Perhaps the most important discovery of Moving Stories is that it demonstrated the incredible strength that already lives within Dumfries and Galloway. The project didn’t create that strength; it simply revealed it.
It showed the immense value of local expertise, the absolute necessity of listening, and the beautiful potential that emerges when people are given the space to connect their personal experiences to a wider regional movement. Looking ahead, we have a wonderful opportunity to build on this momentum.
The contributions from our communities prove that travel is never just about getting from point A to point B. It is about opportunity, wellbeing, belonging, and democracy. It dictates whether people feel connected to the places they live, and to one another.
Over the course of Moving Stories, people have generously shared their experiences, challenges, and hopes. In doing so, they have helped create something far bigger than a conversation about transport—they have shaped a shared vision for a more connected, self-determined region.
We have heard deeply personal reflections, and we want to thank everyone who stepped forward, for their vulnerability, generosity, and trust. Moving Stories moves forward with a much clearer understanding of where this conversation needs to go, and how we can get there together.
As we turn the final page on this chapter of Moving Stories, we do so with the utmost gratitude for everything that has been written and the mark that has been made by our communities. For us at The Stove, the exact shape of the next chapter is still to be discovered, but we are certain of one thing: the Moving Stories journey is to be continued.
Thank you all for what has truly been a moving story.
Activity Leads
Alice Griffin, CT Productions, Electric Shores, Hope London, Kirsty Harris, The Unexpected Garden, Stuart MacPherson, TREUN Media House
Partners
A’ the Airts, Adult Resource Centre, Annan Day Centre, Annan History Town, Chest Heart & Stroke Group, Creative Stranraer, Dalbeattie Community Initiative, Forestry Commission, Happy Daze / Vibe 75, Kate’s Kitchen, Newton Stewart Initiative, ONUS Beach Cleaners, Propagate, Rocks & Wheels, Studio Velo, The Mill Café, The Vault, TREUN Media House, Urban Collective, Wheels of Fleet, Xcel Project
Project Partners
Marketing Associate: Matthew Hyndman
Photography: Caitlin Wells
Filmmaker: Patrick Rooney
