Category: SDT_PAGE

Stranraer Youth Development Team

Throughout 2024, the Stranraer Youth Development Team has been actively working hard to ensure that the young people of Stranraer continue to have their voices heard. The continuation of the weekly youth group meetings held at the Gateway to Galloway Hub has been entertaining and rewarding for all who attend, providing an inclusive and accessible space for creativity and engagement. In addition to these sessions, the Team has been attending twice-weekly lunch sessions throughout the year at the local Academy to host sessions with the students on topics that are important to them. As well as alerting the young people of Stranraer as to how they can get involved with local issues and also how to access volunteering opportunities at events such as the Trust’s annual Oyster Festival.

The Team has also been actively delivering fun crafting sessions at local events and festive times to ensure that the young people of Stranraer have fun, free, and creative activities to get involved with.

Summer Fun Day 2024

Stranraer Youth Development Team was once again delighted to deliver another Summer Fun Day in August this year. The team welcomed the community along to the Unexpected Garden to enjoy children’s entertainers, and a cinema day hosted by Skylight Cinema showing two films Paw Patrol and Finding Nemo back to back throughout the afternoon. Activities and games, as well food, courtesy of the Fed Up Cafe, were all free of charge throughout the day.

Harbour Masters Weighbridge Exhibition

Heritage Exhibition and Design Award for Stranraer Harbourmaster’s Building

The old Harbourmaster’s office at Stranraer was extensively repaired and extended as part of the Stranraer Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), and the Gateway to Galloway facility operated by Stranraer Development Trust has become well-established in the new part of the building.

However, the small size of the original building presented a challenge in considering how it could best be used for the future. Originally the Harbourmaster’s office for the adjacent public weighbridge, the building was constructed with a bequest from John Simpson in 1938. A well-known local businessman, John Simpson, is believed to have had a love of clocks, which would explain the prominent clocktower memorial.

To bring the old building back into use, a heritage exhibition has recently been developed with valuable input from members of Stranraer and District Local History Trust, John Ross and Stranraer Development Trust, alongside input from the Council and delivered through STUCO Design consultancy. 

Please follow the link below for the full press release.

https://info.dumgal.gov.uk/pressreleases/Home/Details/22840

You can visit the exhibition for free located within the Clock Tower, at the Gateway to Galloway and learn more about the history of Stranraer and the Marina. Subject to opening hours.

 

 

SDT_PLACE_PLANNING

Place Planning Information:

Stranraer Development Trust is working in partnership with local stakeholders to develop and deliver the Place Plan Strategy for Stranraer.

Follow the link to learn more: https://creatingstranraer.commonplace.is/

A Place Plan
A place Plan captures the hopes and dreams of local people for their town. Stranraer’s Place Plan has been been made by, for and with local people to set priorities for change. Our community-led Plan, with strong ideas, partnership working and the support of local people, should help unlock funding to invest in the town’s future.

Borderlands Funding
Stranraer was invited to present a Place Plan to Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal Fund by Dumfries & Galloway Council. Borderlands has just under £15 million to be shared among 5 towns: Gretna, Stranraer, Wigtown, Whithorn and Kirkconnel/Kellaholm. This was the catalyst for Place Planning. In August 2024, Stranraer was asked to attend a meeting with Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal Fund by Dumfries & Galloway Council, to discuss the Place Plan and the forthcoming Borderlands Town Investment Plan, for the projects identified within the Place Plan.

Unlocking potential
The Place Plan and any Borderlands Funding we attract should help lever other funding too. We will use the Place Plan to unlock funding promised by Scottish Government when the ferries left.

Local Place Plans
Now that we have a Place Plan, we have submitted it to Dumfries & Galloway Council so it can be registered as a Local Development Plan and be taken into consideration when the Council is looking at development proposals for the next decade.

To learn more watch the promotional video we created.:

 

The Place Plan Presentation to the Scottish Borders Council:

 

Creative Stranraer Hub

In 2022 Dumfries & Galloway Council commissioned SDT to do an engagement exercise to develop the potential for an arts and cultural base within Stranraer with a focus on the soon-to-be-renovated George Hotel. The Trust employed Janet Jones, who is enthusiastic and passionate about art and its power to heal, inspire and grow a community, to deliver the exercise. With Janet on board, SDT delivered art projects over twelve months and the Pilot of the Creative Hub on King Street was opened. This led to Stranraer receiving LUF funding for The George Hotel project to go ahead to the next stage of development.  Stranraer Development Trust aided Creative Stranraer in becoming a stand-alone organisation by 2023 representing the arts and culture sector for Stranraer and The Rhins.

 

 

To reach Janet or a member of Creative Stranraer please click on the following link  https://creativestranraer.com/

 

 

 

The Unexpected Garden

The Unexpected Garden – Stranraer forms part of the Scottish Dandelion programme, a national creative community food growing initiative. It is part of the UK wide unboxed2022 Festival; a UK wide celebration of creativity taking place in 2022.

To give you some insight into the project and how it all came about, Emerging Creative Producer Beth Pigott has written this blog to share all you need to know and how the Unexpected Garden has been progressing so far. https://thestove.org/what-is-dandelion-all-about/ Initially supported through The Stove Network alongside SDT, the community garden addresses many issues facing Stranraer, such as food poverty, social inclusion and growing food sustainability skills.

The Unexpected Garden has been supported through SDT to date and continuation funding for the project to keep it as a community garden was granted by The National Lottery, Wigtownshire Area Committee Fund, Stranraer Common Good Fund and The Holywood Trust, to help support the garden to continue and to become a fully constituted group in 2024.

The garden located behind Burns House in Stranraer has drop-in sessions and food produce is grown throughout the year by the community.

For information on events at the garden or how to get involved, please visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UnexpectedGardenStranraer.
Unexpected Garden Site Location at Burns House Grounds

Arts_and_Engagement

YOUR TOWN

MEETING WITH

A DIFFERENCE

 

STRANRAER NEEDS YOU MORE IN 2023

The next Vision and Action Meeting on the 23rd March, Wigtownshire Rugby Club, 6.15 pm – 8.00 pm

 

More street art is coming - Join the conversation of the town and have your say

Let Us Know - What creativity you want to see and share your ideas.

Discover - Why art can revive a town

Also - meet the artist and learn what is behind the Stranraer mural

Waste Land, what shall we do with it?

The Blank Stank area is being developed - Come and share your ideas and meet the people involved with developing it.

 

FREE Food, tea and coffee, courtesy of the Fed Up Café

And

Music from The Life O'Riley

 

STRANRAER AND THE RHINS NEEDS YOU

Join the next Listening and Visioning Meeting on the 2nd November, Millennium Centre, 6 pm – 8.30 pm

A FREE hot meal from the Fed Up Café

FREE Prize Draw from local shops

Meet the artist who will bring you your first Professional Street Art.

Join the conversation of the town and have your say

And

Music from Wild Thyme

Join me, Janet Jones, your Art and Engagement Officer,

and let’s start creating.

Register online at:   www.creatingstranraer.co.uk Or scan here :

This helps me know how many cups of tea to make but you can just show up.

 

STRANRAER NEEDS YOU SEEDS OF IDEAS

 

 

 

 

Gathering of Artists Minds in Stranraer and the Rhins

Part One – 28th June 2022

Today, I realised why Stranraer has a big heart. I took the time to learn about Blin Johnnie – John Alexandre. Visiting The Sculpture by Gordon Rogers, on the corner of George Street and King Street, I read about how he entertained generations of locals and in his absence the town changed.  In the few months I have lived here, I have witnessed an abundance of kindness for folk less well off. I see the evidence of compassion in the actions of the people, in the music, in the poetry and in the monument dedicated to ‘Blin Johnnie’.

In the meeting we discussed the need for ‘identity’. In the first meeting on the 16th of June 2022  the group came up with ‘Stranraer – the town with a heart.’ In this meeting, the artists took that one set further and came up with ‘Stranraer – the town with a Heart’ I am sure there are many stories like Blin Johnnie’s when we look deeper.

 

Other notes from the meeting:

We started by looking at what visual artists needs were. If, as an artist in Stranraer, you can think of other needs, please add your comments below.
  • Funding – for a space/gallery/year-round exhibition.
  • Marketing and PR to attract visitors and sales
  • Working demonstration space and artist meetings
  • Joined up thinking – possibly my role and connecting all the arts
  • Equipment sharing, to keep costs down, be more creative and better for the environment.
  • Build artist community – to generate ideas, inspiration, mutual support, inspire young people to join the community.
  • Exhibition for historic art – Stranraer stories and UK stories, travelling exhibitions etc. Possibly a travelling art gallery in the town.
    • Galloway Hoard – Viking Exhibition
    • Spring Fling to be in Stranraer
  • All this needs to be on Visitscotland
  • To make connections with national art colleges and centres to make art more accessible and information more readily available to budding artists.
  • Create Artist Residences – providing courses and places for people to stay.
  • Education – A. College has its first art course starting this year. Diana Hamilton will be taking that. It includes art facilities. B. The University holds debates around art. This is needed in Stranraer.

    • Artists Ideas.

    This was an exciting part. These ideas are how we can inspire the town with art and lift people’s aspirations subliminally. Don’t you feel brighter when you are in a space that has colour and information? This wasn’t only about making the town pretty but also brining in the history and a more entertaining and accessible way.
    There are steps around town that can have colour added or share more of the story of the town.
    • The first idea was about sharing the stories of famous people of Stranraer. How we can present them in art/stories.
    • Creating wall art and brightening up the town.
    We got very enthusiastic about adding historic shanty tales and images to the wall at the car park by the harbour and bring that art into the town by creating a trail of stories throughout time to modern day.

    Then the discussion around what opportunities we have now.

    To be recognised as a town for Art and Culture it is important to get to work now and demonstrate that, collectively, we are VERY serious about turning the destiny of this amazing town around. We have:
    • Empty shops that could become pop up art exhibitions.
    • Art and local history that we could create trails around the town and link surrounding areas.
    • A listing of local artists – if you aren’t on it, please contact me at the Stranraer Development Trust.
    • We have buildings that could have art projected onto them and create interest and vibrancy around the town.
    • We could add more monuments as we have reasons to do that and a past and future to celebrate.
    • We could arrange a Geocaching trail. This could be around the town and take people on a treasure hunt around the Rhins. This could include, songs, poems, art, pebbles. There could be a themed one for the Coastal Walk. This would bring many tourists in for an adventure.
    • We could have an outdoor cinema.
    • There could be a ‘story night.’ Local stories read by performers. These could be recorded and used again for future art work.
    • There could be art pieces along the coastal path that could be crayoned over using paper and crayon to create artwork and evidence of doing the trail that could be rewarded with a certificate, downloadable online with evidence of the art.
    If you would like to share your ideas, you can add your comments in the section below or come along to the next LIVE event. We are privileged to live in a beautiful place. Let’s show the world. STRANRAER NEEDS YOU!

     

     

     

     

    Meet Janet Jones – your new Art and Engagement Officer

     

    Janet is enthusiastic and passionate about art and its power to heal, inspire and grow a community.

    As an author of happiness, a speaker/trainer and photographer, Janet is well suited to lead this role.

    Be sure to join her meetings, ‘have your say’ and be part of the exciting future being developed for your town, Stranraer.

    Register your place below.

    Hi, I’m Janet, and at the first meeting we had, we filled the room. Thanks to everyone who were able to make it.

    In the meeting we:-

    • Discussed the amazing assets Stranraer already has.
    • The Architecture. It needs love and attention and some new ideas but we have it and it is amazing.
    • Agriculture – The Young Farmers are an inspiration.
    • Local History – The WW2 stories,  Sir John Ross, Arctic Explorer.
    • The Arts – Here we can make a big splash. It has been proven the world over that regenerating a town with Art and Culture is great for morale, retail, inspiring young people and giving them hope and a strong vision of the future. In Stranraer we have artists, performers, musicians, writers and so many more talents. Look out for this being more visible in the streets.
    • Geographical Location – the land/sea and the environment. This makes us unique and worth making the effort to come and see. Not only are we the Gateway to Ireland, we offer activities on the water, bird and seal watching, and nature that David Attenborough would be jealous of. We can offer walking, cycling, scuba diving. The opportunities to develop are endless.
    • Gardens – Rolling garden landscapes to enjoy, from the Botanical garden, stately gardens to community gardens and harvesting gardens. A wide range to be enjoyed by visitors and the community.
    • The People – the people are the greatest asset of all because we all play an important role to make all this happen. There aren’t many communities left in the country, let’s hold on to this one and make it stronger. We will be looking at ways to create opportunities for young people and creative ways to bring all generations together more regularly.

    We have other assets, such as restaurants making meals with local produce, Visitor and Tourist Industry, Retail, local crafts and bakers. There are so many. In the coming months and years, we will be putting all of this on the map to share Stranraer as a place to visit and for some people, like me, put down roots.

     

    Janet.

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    A Little Bit About Us

    The Stranraer Development Trust was formed by a group of people who were concerned about the downturn of the town.  The Trust received charitable status in February 2016 as a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).  The primary aims of the Trust are to achieve sustainable regeneration of the community of Stranraer addressing a range of economic, social, environmental and cultural issues.  It will take forward projects that will increase opportunities, improve the attractiveness of the town, attract more visitors and revive the lost sense of pride in the town and what it has to offer.

    Being able to demonstrate that we have the support of the local community by having as many members as possible is very important to show potential funders that we have your backing.

    “Whatever we do and whatever we achieve, we must do it together. Not for any one person or group or individual business but for the good of the town of Stranraer today, tomorrow and long into the future”

    ...Romano Petrucci, Chairman

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