AS 2024 passes over the hill and out of view it’s a fitting time to look back at the incredible work of our local organisations and the impact they’ve had on our community.
As part of a mini series over the next couple of weeks this newspaper will spotlight two groups who have made a difference over the past year, showcasing their achievements and sharing their aspirations for 2025.
In this week’s feature, we hear from Dunoon Community Development Trust, (DCDT), a group which brings people, ideas and resources together to support community-led activities, and the work they were engaged in over the past 12 months. Work which varied from beach clean ups at the West Bay to the development of the Castle Gatehouse as Dunoon’s very own bike bothy, as well as a number of other specific achievements.
Likewise, liveArgyll, Dunoon’s charity based leisure trust reflects on its accomplishments throughout 2024, with highlights that include many sell out gigs at the Queen’s Hall including Skerryvore and Beluga lagoon as well as their extended efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of those in the local community with a growing range of fitness classes and a major upgrade to Rothesay Leisure Centre.
As both organisations share their reflections of last year and hopes for the year ahead its evident that they each have a passion for creating positive change in the local community.
Whats On Dunoon website
Our community run What’s On Dunoon website has continued to develop as a central event calendar for Dunoon and Cowal. The site allows users to search by date, venue and event type and a new section has been developed, to be launched early in 2025, to share information on community support services, clubs and groups.
We can now create and share e-newsletters with weekly listings and newly added events to all of our mailing list members and a regular column in the Dunoon Observer, sponsored by DCDT, provides access for people who might not be online. A small team of digital volunteers supports the project by helping to find and add events to the site.
Castle Gatehouse
Following the full refurbishment of Castle Gatehouse through the Argyll and Bute Council Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme, DCDT took on the lease of the building in June 2024. This entry date was later than had been hoped for, but we are now developing the space to promote What’s On Dunoon, to provide community information and as a base for the Dunoon Bothy active travel project.
Local Place Plan
As part of the Scottish Government Investing in Communities funded element of our work, DCDT is taking the lead on the development of a Local Place Plan for Dunoon. This process involves connecting with key partner organisations and engaging with our community to gather information, share ideas and identify priorities.
DCDT’s Information and Engagement worker developed a creative programme of thematic community engagement which has been delivered across the year. So far this programme has explored themes of active travel, green and blue spaces, youth engagement and repair and reuse.
Seven local people have been recruited and trained as paid Community Connectors to engage with their neighbours, friends and community groups on the themes of the DCDT community engagement programme. By providing feedback on their conversations, they have added richness to the engagement findings and helped to reach people who are less often heard from.
West Bay Wonder
An outdoor exhibition developed through the We are Building a Beach Hut project was installed along the length of the West Bay over the summer of 2024. It featured interpretation of the history, heritage, flora and fauna of the shingle beach and promenade and highlighted regeneration ideas developed through community engagement. An online survey was circulated to gather more community feedback on West Bay regeneration to inform the Local Place Plan. Challenges identified around beach management and supporting biodiversity are being raised with Argyll and Bute Council.
Second Hand September
A series of talks and a £20 Challenge second hand fashion show (linked to Oxfam’s Second Hand September campaign) took place in September 2024. This programme of events was designed to explore themes of reuse and repair with local people, charity shops and businesses. The engagement identified gaps in Circular Economy approaches that could potentially be addressed by the Trust and its partners, for example, establishing a reuse project to run alongside the Dunoon recycling centre.
The Second Hand September £20 Challenge and fashion show provided an excellent opportunity to engage with young people in thinking about reuse and repair. Over 20 teams entered and an audience of over 170 local people enjoyed the resulting community fashion show at the Queen’s Hall. This project highlighted the potential for working with young people on enterprise ideas connected to the circular economy.
West Bay Improvements
A team of volunteers repainted railings along West Bay. This activity was weather-dependent and a WhatsApp group was set up to call on the trained volunteers when conditions were suitable.
Grow Food Grow Dunoon
DCDT’s Grow Food Grow Dunoon initiative brought together volunteers with varied skills who wanted to grow food together, rather than alone in their gardens or on private allotments. A new growing site is being developed in the grounds of Struan Lodge Residential and Day Care Centre. A number of local support groups have become involved in the project, including Dunoon Grammar School Learning Centre, ASIST and The Help Project, offering young people and people with additional support needs the chance to be part of this community project.
A grant from Argyll and Bute Council UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund has provided £17,120 toward the capital costs of setting up the site. The volunteer group has made significant progress in laying out paths, building a poly tunnel, shelter and toilet shed, and in setting out and preparing the growing beds.
Therapeutic Garden – Struan Lodge
Lesley Palmer of the University of Stirling Dementia Services Development Centre led a very positive and informative design workshop with a group 12 representatives from DCDT, GFGD, Struan Lodge staff and their support group. The outcomes of this workshop are being used to inform fundraising and grant applications for the development of a therapeutic garden alongside the GFGD food growing site. This initiative will also help to support wider thinking about how we can create a more dementia-friendly town.
Dunoon Grammar School pupils studying for a new film making qualification have chosen to feature these DCDT projects at Struan Lodge, ‘Struan Green Haven’, as the subject for a series of short films.
Beach Cleaning Activities
A lead volunteer has been recruited and has taken part in Marine Conservation Society training to support beach cleaning activities around the town. Two beach cleans were carried out this year bringing interested people together and more dates are being planned. We are grateful to local diving company, Wreckspeditions, for providing support and the kit for these activities.
Sunday Lunch Club
A new initiative which was tested in October is offering people who live alone the opportunity to learn new skills from local chef, Elena Morozowa, and to share the food that they cook together. This pilot project is being delivered in Dunoon Foodbank and has been developed from an idea brought to the Trust by an active member.
Partnership Action
DCDT co-ordinates an advisory group for Dunoon Bothy to support development and the promotion of activities. Funding continued over 2024 for the part-time Bothy Co-ordinator post to organise e-bike trials and to support trained volunteers to provide regular led cycles and health walks for individuals and groups. Sara Hawley, Project Development Worker for the Dunoon Bothy project, has established a strong programme which has also included bike maintenance training and silent disco walks linked to DCDT events.
