Day of the Region Blog
Day of the Region 2012 - BE PART OF IT!
DAY OF THE REGION - BE PART OF IT!
Communities in Dumfries and Galloway took part in the first ever Day of the Region celebration to be delivered in the UK on 1st and 2nd of October 2011 with an investment of over £30,000 going directly to participating rural communities.
The evaluation report was very encouraging and revealed 95% of people surveyed felt the celebration was a success.
The main focus of the initiative, which was managed by Dumfries and Galloway LEADER Programme, was to encourage people to explore what was going on in their communities. Research conducted during the October weekend revealed that 83% of people felt more aware of the various groups, activities and generally felt more connected with what was available to them in their community as a result of the project.
The weekend celebration in 5 participating locations featured over 150 events and activities that aimed to encourage people to connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give by taking part, enjoying and even organising special events.
Castle Douglas, Creetown, Crocketford, Gatehouse of Fleet and The Glenkens showcased all that is good in these Day of the Region locations in a bid to increase general well-being and to encourage everyone in the communities to feel better connected and more aware of what is available to them.
Events included group promotions, demonstrations in cooking, fishing, archery, painting, filming, curling, cycle routes, walks, exhibitions, talks, pipe band, ceilidh, wood turning, making bird boxes, musical performances, business open days and even belly dancing displays! Local community volunteers were the drivers behind the packed programme and were delighted to be part of this new regional initiative.
The website, www.dayoftheregion.co.uk received over 2,000 visits with over 12,000 page views since its launch in June 2011.
The project was delivered quite differently in each of the participating locations and this has allowed D&G LEADER to assess what elements worked well and to establish a framework for future celebrations.
Day of the Region is a concept being delivered across Europe and is growing momentum every year. In 2012 regional celebrations will take place in over 10 countries across Europe from here in Scotland to the Ireland, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, Poland, Austria, Luxembourg and Finland.
The Day of the Region Co-ordinator and team of volunteers are delighted to announce that the D&G LEADER Programme have supported the initiative for a further 2 years to allow Day of the Region celebrations to be delivered across Dumfries and Galloway. It is hoped that the next two years will improve the initiative further and extend the programme out to new communities. If you would like your community to take part in this exciting new concept, then register your interest now! Contact Derek Hextall, Project Officer, by email Derek.hextall@dumgal.gov.uk or telephone 01387 850228 to find out more.
Posted by: Derek Hextall / 19 January 2012 at 12:30 / Comment
Well Done
Well Done with securing further funding for this excellent celebration! We took our kids last year to Crocketford and it was eye opening to see the amount of community activity in such a wee place! GOOD LUCK!
Comment posted by: Dom Estwein / 19 January 2012 at 12:33