Local News
Traitor’s trek will include this area
A STAR of the popular Traitors TV show is coming to Dumfriesshire this autumn as part of an epic charity trek. Andrew Jenkins appeared in the BBC reality game earlier this year. And during his time onscreen, he shared the story of his recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1999. He suffered a sever...
Hoard team get together for tenth anniversary
EXPERTS who have studied the Galloway Hoard will share their findings and thoughts at an online event this week. It’s part of Scottish Archaeology Month and also marks a decade since the Viking hoard was discovered by a metal detectorist in Kirkcudbrightshire, on September 1 2014. Buried about AD ...
Poor school attainment levels revealed
ATTAINMENT in Dumfries and Galloway schools is falling way below acceptable standards, a councillor has argued. Annandale South Councillor George Jamieson has recently uncovered statistics which compare this region to others in Scotland, and he has been shocked at school performance, particularly in...
£250k for biodiversity projects
SEVEN key projects for the protection and restoration of biodiversity in Dumfries and Galloway have been identified for nearly £250,000 of investment. Council chiefs have drawn up a plan for the six-figure sum of cash to be split among several causes. However, this is all dependent on whether or no...
Warning given on teacher job cuts
TEACHER numbers will likely be cut as a natural consequence of the transformation of the schools estate in Dumfries and Galloway. With school rolls falling drastically and the closure of some rural schools, an inability to meet budget savings targets because of teacher number commitments has now bee...
Bankfoot celebrates six decades of care
FOLLOWING its 60th anniversary celebrations the staff and board of directors of Moffat’s Bankfoot house have been reflecting on the home’s history and evolution. The residential care home is completely unique to other care homes in the region in that it is owned and managed by a charitable trust...
Temporary classrooms in place till end of term
NEW pupils who have just started their school education at a Dumfries primary have been decanted into temporary accommodation. And it’s likely that the P1 children at Laurieknowe Primary, along with kids in P2 and P3, will remain in these temporary classrooms for the entire duration of the school ...
Looking at life on the farm
A NEW Farmhouse in Time exhibition at Ellisland will tells tales of soldiers and thieves who lived in the poet’s house It will be staged in the byre that Burns built and reveal the lives of those who followed him, including doctors and dairymaids. Beyond Burns: Ellisland’s People will preview to...
Shoe ceremony remembers drug victims
TWELVE pairs of empty shoes were placed at The Midsteeple on Saturday to mark everyone who died in the region last year from drugs. The poignant event was organised by NHS Dumfries and Galloway and third-sector partners to mark International Overdose Awareness Day. Representatives from the health bo...
Councillor’s shares recovery update
COMMUNITY champion Archie Dryburgh was told he had just five months to live – if medics hadn’t discovered he had a brain tumour. Councillor Archie Dryburgh made a trip to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary to be checked out after falling ill on holiday in July this year. He was then hit with ...
Knotweed concerns spreading in Moffat
CONCERNS are growing in Moffat over an ‘serious infestation’ of Japanese Knotweed. The outbreak of the non-native invasive species has been growing along the Annan Water path by the playing fields on both sides of the river and has gone untreated despite reports from residents. The plant produce...
MSP’s concern over solar scale
CONCERN has been expressed this week by Dumfriesshire MSP Oliver Mundell at the prospect of a large swathe of Annandale farmland being carpeted in solar panels. He was reacting to news of the proposed giant solar farm scheme by Green Energy International, which would span 3250 acres between Eaglesfi...
Meeting with a Spitfire
IN July 1944 the Supermarine Spitfire PT462 was built at Castle Bromwich, crated and sent up to RAF Dumfries to await transit to the east Mediterranean, where it remained in action until the end of the war. Post war it was sold to the Israeli Airforce then the Italians before returning to Israel. In...
School week change plan needs more thought
PROPOSED changes to the school week in the region have sparked controversy among school staff, parents, and the public. That’s the assertion from public sector union Unison, which has conducted a survey of members to assess their views on council plans to reduce the school week to four and a half ...
Traitor’s trek will include Lochmaben
A STAR of the popular Traitors TV show is coming to Lochmaben this autumn as part of an epic charity trek. Andrew Jenkins appeared in the BBC reality game earlier this year. And during his time onscreen, he shared the story of his recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1999. He suffered a severe [...
Creative fund closure blow
CONCERN has been expressed by an arts group in the region at the news of Creative Scotland’s closure of the Open Fund for Individuals. It has now closed to new applications. And the team at DG Unlimited want to hear from anyone locally that’s affected. They believe the decision will have “far ...
Overall champion
SHOW SUPREME . . . a Galloway cow from J&S Ross, of Romesbeoch, Shawhead, won the overall show title at Moffat Show on Saturday. It capped off a successful summer for the family, who were delighted to be chosen by judge Scott McKinnell, above left. The post Overall champion appeared first on DNG...
Show day brings sunshine, smiles and racing pigs!
RACING pigs were the star attraction at this year’s Moffat Show. They proved particularly popular with the crowds at the Raehills venue last Saturday, with all ages lining up to cheer on their favourite porkers. It was just one of the highlights at a successful, and sunny, show day. Livestock entr...
School transport costs hits council
INCREASING school transport costs are putting financial strain on Dumfries and Galloway Council, it has been revealed. An extra £750,000 is needed this year to pay for school transport for pupils with additional support needs (ASN) – and it is feared this bill could rise to closer to £1m. Meanwh...
Viking-age urn in Galloway Hoard originated in Iran, researchers discover
The vessel was found as part of the hoard uncovered in Kirkcudbrightshire a decade ago.