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Tag: Dumfries

Open Hoose: Climate Kitchen

April 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Climate Kitchen, run by local community members, is a space for learning, sharing, contributing and working together to do something positive for the climate!

⭐ Dumfries Climate Kitchen is free to attend but we will be accepting CASH DONATIONS on the night to help fund our future events.

Climate Kitchen is open to anyone and everyone!

April’s theme: Growing Season: Foraging, Listening & Planting Together

Jump into Spring with a brilliant gathering of speakers from local organisations involved with growing, gardening and connecting with the plant kingdom. Come along to get a taste for what is going on near you and learn how to get involved this growing season. 

Old Mill Arts will be talking about foraging, what different plants can be used for and Freya Skinner will be bringing a basket of wild finds for folk to see (and taste) for themselves.

There are many community gardens flourishing in the region, and Propagate will be coming along to spread the word and talk about how to get more involved.

Learn about Plant Listening with Tamara Colchester sharing her work connecting people to the natural world around them through walks, foraging and community events.


Finally, we’ll have space for a seed swap. So, come along with any surplus seeds you have and/or have the opportunity to take some seeds back home and get planting!

The speakers will be starting at 6pm. The event will finish around 8pm. Dumfries Climate Kitchen is free to attend, but we will accept CASH DONATIONS on the night to help fund our future events.

Dumfries Climate Kitchen

View Organiser Website

The Stove Cafe

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

Access to the Building:

  • Level Access is available at the rear of the building through the adjacent close located to the left-hand side of the Café (when facing the front of the building). 

Hearing Loop:

  • We have a hearing loop system installed in the café to support individuals using hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Personalised Assistance:

  • If you have any specific access needs, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to accommodate. You can reach Sal at [email protected] or call us at 01387 252435 to speak with a member of our team.

Additional Support Available:

  • Walk-throughs of the building can be arranged prior to your visit so you can familiarise yourself with the space.
  • Reserved Seating can be arranged to ensure comfort and accessibility; please let us know if you would like seating assigned before arrival.

We’re committed to making your experience as enjoyable and accessible as possible. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or specific requirements.

Doongamers – Magic: The Gathering

#image_title

April 16 @ 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Magic: the Gathering is a collectable trading card game dating back to 1993. Players use their decks, containing lands, spells, and creatures, to battle against their opponent using a variety of tactics and strategies until one player emerges victorious.

Magic comes in many formats, each with its own list of cards that are allowed to be played in that format.

The Pioneer format (the one chosen by Team Scoop to be played at The Stove) is beginner friendly, accessible, and fun, with cards from late 2012 (Return to Ravnica) being legal, with a few exceptions that have been banned due to their power level.

Pioneer: £5 entry fee will add 1.5 boosters to the prize pool per player, with each player receiving one pack, and the rest being distributed amongst the top scoring players. 

Commander/other casual play: Free, can be arranged into pods/events on demand. 

More information can be found at magic.wizards.com or by contacting us via our Facebook Group (Team Scoop Magic Club) or joining our Discord (https://discord.gg/wg8REfc). 

What is Magic? 

Bringing people together through fun, competition and friendship. 

At a glance, Magic is a trading card game filled with strategic battles and unique card decks. But Magic has always been bigger than the box. Whether you’re having fun at the kitchen table, or battling in a high-stakes competition, there’s a place for you here.

5 colours. 5 play styles. Endless possibilities. 

Each of the five colours in Magic represent a different philosophy and a different play-style. Choose your colour(s) to decide which type of land you’ll be drawing resources (mana) from and what type of Magic you’ll wield.

Who are Doongamers?

Doongamers are a friendly, inclusive community of Doonhamer gamers with a passion for geek culture from Magic to D&D, Digimon to collectables! Hosting regular gaming sessions at the Stove Cafe, the community is always on the look-out for new members. With a community both in-person and online, Doongamers is fun-first, competition second. Oh, and milkshakes. Lots of milkshakes. 

Free
NO NEED TO BOOK

The Stove Cafe

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

Access to the Building:

  • Level Access is available at the rear of the building through the adjacent close located to the left-hand side of the Café (when facing the front of the building). 

Hearing Loop:

  • We have a hearing loop system installed in the café to support individuals using hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Personalised Assistance:

  • If you have any specific access needs, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to accommodate. You can reach Sal at [email protected] or call us at 01387 252435 to speak with a member of our team.

Additional Support Available:

  • Walk-throughs of the building can be arranged prior to your visit so you can familiarise yourself with the space.
  • Reserved Seating can be arranged to ensure comfort and accessibility; please let us know if you would like seating assigned before arrival.

We’re committed to making your experience as enjoyable and accessible as possible. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or specific requirements.

Doughlicious

April 16 @ 6:45 pm – 9:00 pm

For amateur bakers and bread enthusiasts alike.

Doughlicious is a bread club with a twist. Share recipes and techniques in a relaxed atmosphere and get practical with some hands-on activity. Open to all! Discover more about Doughlicious here.

Image by Jamie Stryker
Image by Jamie Stryker
Image by Jamie Stryker

The levain will be provided, but you’ll need to bring some tools from home. These are: A mixing bowl, a cloth or cover for your bowl and a jam jar.

We also have a small ‘Bread Book’ reference library for you to look through to get inspired and learn new techniques.

Free In-person donations welcome to go towards materials for the event.

Doughlicious

View Organiser Website

The Stove Cafe

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

Access to the Building:

  • Level Access is available at the rear of the building through the adjacent close located to the left-hand side of the Café (when facing the front of the building). 

Hearing Loop:

  • We have a hearing loop system installed in the café to support individuals using hearing aids or cochlear implants.

Personalised Assistance:

  • If you have any specific access needs, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to accommodate. You can reach Sal at [email protected] or call us at 01387 252435 to speak with a member of our team.

Additional Support Available:

  • Walk-throughs of the building can be arranged prior to your visit so you can familiarise yourself with the space.
  • Reserved Seating can be arranged to ensure comfort and accessibility; please let us know if you would like seating assigned before arrival.

We’re committed to making your experience as enjoyable and accessible as possible. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or specific requirements.

Categories
News

A New Chapter for The Stove

Matt Baker, Photographed by Coulson & Tennant

A New Chapter for The Stove as Matt Baker Steps Down as CEO in 2025

As we enter our 14th year, I’m writing to let you know about another major milestone for The Stove, as our co-founder Matt Baker stands down as CEO in summer 2025. This progression has been in planning for over a year between Matt and the Board. The Stove is constantly evolving, and the Trustees and the team are confident that this will be another positive process of change for us.

A small team from the Board have been working with Matt for about a year now in planning for this change. I’m delighted to tell you that we are not losing Matt; he will take on a new part-time role for The Stove as our ‘Prospector’*, continuing with the brilliant work he does for us in regional and national strategy and policy development, and working with prospective clients and funders to shape new work opportunities.

In co-founding The Stove, the challenge Matt set himself was to help establish a sustainable, innovative arts organisation embedded in his home region. As he says himself, ‘the final step in creating something is to step away to allow it to stand on its own and flourish’. With the incredible team we have built—you, our members, and all of our partners—we have the experience and skills, and we are ready and excited to embrace this new stage together in our evolution. We can assure all members that no significant change to the direction or operation of The Stove is anticipated; we will continue to serve the creative community and the wider communities of Dumfries and Galloway as we always have.

We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary contribution that Matt has made to The Stove, the region, and the country over the past 14 years, and delighted that his commitment to Dumfries and Galloway and the pioneering practice of creative placemaking will remain his focus. We are excited at the prospect of new adventures with Matt and all the new connections he will make for us.

The wonderful recent news of the award of multi-year funding from Creative Scotland means that The Stove is now in its third cycle as a national portfolio arts organisation, an incredible achievement for such a young and highly original organisation. This award was based on our business plan for 2025–28. The plan is built on the twin strands of (1) community-embedded creative practice, for and with the communities of Dumfries, and (2) regional creative placemaking and creative sector development. These two areas of work are based on the solid foundations of existing work and future innovation, and are underpinned by four areas of income generation, all of which are comprehensively supported through effective governance and working systems.  

We will now enter a short process of internal reorganisation and planning to refine the shape of our team and working systems. This is something in which everyone at The Stove has a voice, but we have planned things in such a way that the process should create as little disruption as possible within everyone’s busy schedules. The process will be enabled and supported by the constitutional changes we made in the past year and the well-embedded operations of the Board and senior leadership team, which we have all developed together. We will do our utmost to keep everyone informed throughout, and I am here for any queries—please do not hesitate to reach out. 

This feels like a big change in our Stove foundations. As you all know, Matt has been the leader of this special place. However, we’re confident about this next chapter, the new opportunities it will present internally and externally, and the fact that we won’t lose our wonderful Matt completely. As it is traditional to say at The Stove at times like these, ‘may it continuse on!’


Lynsey Smith
Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Stove

* A prospector company is defined as one that is a leader in its market and is driven by innovation and thought-leadership. Prospector companies are known for being entrepreneurial and investing a lot of time and effort to find new products and solutions. A prospector strategy is a business strategy that involves actively seeking out new markets and opportunities. It’s a competitive strategy that emphasises innovation and flexibility to respond to changing market conditions. A prospector seeks precious elements.

Reel to Real Cinema: House of Gloss

April 16 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

House of Gloss | Mark Lyken | 2024 | 78 mins | Scotland | English

For this special Reel to Real evening, we will be heading across to our friends at the RBC Film Theatre on the Mill Green for a screening of HOUSE OF GLOSS. House of Gloss is an intimate and affectionate portrait of a queer trans femme couple — Opal, a drag queen, and Lana, a DJ & graffiti writer, created by D&G based filmmaker and sound artist Mark Lyken.

After the film, we will be joined by Mark for a Q&A style discussion.

Please note the Stove cafe will not be open for this event!

About the Film

HOUSE OF GLOSS isan intimate and affectionate portrait of a queer trans femme couple — Opal, a drag queen, and Lana, a DJ & graffiti writer — as they live out their dreams and desires in downtown Dundee.

Supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland & Hope Scott Trust

About Reel to Real

Reel to Real Cinema is a monthly film space in the Stove Cafe, featuring an eclectic mixture of conversational films – from artist made shorts to feature length documentaries, locally made to international cinema. A space for discussion and thought-provoking films, you are welcome to join us after the film for a short discussion about the themes from this month’s selection. The Stove Cafe will be open from 5.30pm – 6:45pm with a special pre-film dinner option alongside hot drinks and cakes.

Free Donations welcome
BOOK HERE

Robert Burns Centre

Mill Road
Dumfries, DG2 7BE United Kingdom

Accessibility Information 

Access to the Building:
  • Level Access is available at the rear of the building through the adjacent close located to the left-hand side of the Café (when facing the front of the building). 
Hearing Loop:
  • We have a hearing loop system installed in the café to support individuals using hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Personalised Assistance:
  • If you have any specific access needs, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to accommodate. You can reach Sal at [email protected] or call us at 01387 252435 to speak with a member of our team.
Additional Support Available:
  • Walk-throughs of the building can be arranged prior to your visit so you can familiarise yourself with the space.
  • Reserved Seating can be arranged to ensure comfort and accessibility; please let us know if you would like seating assigned before arrival.

We’re committed to making your experience as enjoyable and accessible as possible. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or specific requirements.

Categories
News

The Stove Multi-Year Funding Award 2025-2028

We are delighted to share that The Stove has been awarded Multi-Year Funding by Creative Scotland for the period of April 2025–April 2028. We are honoured to be part of the national portfolio of cultural organisations in Scotland for the third time. This decision feels like a true affirmation of the work we do.

The significant growth of funded organisations in our region demonstrates how fundamental the arts are to life and work in Dumfries & Galloway. We are proud to stand alongside six other creative organisations in the region—DG Arts Festival, Upland CIC, CatStrand, Wigtown Festival Company, CAMPLE LINE, and Paragon Music—who are all making valuable contributions to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of Scotland’s communities.

The Stove, as it stands today, has evolved from a conversation in a bar in 2011 among a group of artists. Our hope then remains the same as it is now: to use creativity and the arts to shape the future of our town. Collaboration has always been at the heart of our vision, and we dedicate this recent success to everyone we’ve worked with—the community across the region, the incredibly talented network of freelancers, and, of course, our members.

We’ve taken time to publish our message of thanks and gratitude for Creative Scotland’s support out of respect for the many organisations across Scotland who have not received the outcome they had hoped for. We acknowledge the challenges that lie ahead for many of these organisations who undoubtedly invested a tremendous amount of time and energy into the application process. As we stated previously in our response to the closure of Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund, we stand in solidarity with creatives everywhere, as well as with public and third-sector workers, and offer our support in any way we can.

Looking ahead to the next three years, with the stability provided by this funding, we are pleased to continue with our ambitious plans. The Stove’s original mission for Dumfries—enabling creativity and creative people to make a positive contribution to the town and surrounding communities—has now expanded into a region-wide endeavour. Over the next three years, we will focus on delivering community-embedded arts practices with the communities of Dumfries, as well as advancing regional creative placemaking and creative sector development:

We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the continued support from all our much-valued funders and partners, who enable our ongoing mission for Dumfries & Galloway.

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