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Community vision bears fruit for Lochside and Lincluden

Posted in: News.

Local people in the Lochside and Lincluden area of Dumfries have banded together with the support of CEIS and funding from the Big Lottery to realise a joint vision of regenerating the community.

The ‘Our Place’ project began (see our last post – Our Place initiative gets off to a blooming start) with local volunteers planting 150 fruit trees to create a community orchard in a much-loved green space in the grounds of Lincluden Abbey. CEIS has continued to work closely with the community to understand what matters most to them and enact a plan to make their vision a reality.

Mapping the vision
We co-produced a map of all the assets in the area with residents, local organisations and youths through a variety of activities, workshops and exercises. The map, which includes the places and spaces that people value; the skills and gifts of the local people, was then published online for the community to view and use. View the asset map at http://www.lochsidelincluden.com.

We sought people’s views on what they wanted to change and how they wanted Lochside and Lincluden to look in the future. This formed the foundation of ‘Our Vision’ – a set of priorities which identified the aspirations of the local people, including their top priorities of bringing people together and using the land on their doorstep. The final vision was presented as a booklet and delivered to 3,837 houses in the neighbourhood and is also available online here – http://www.ourplacelochsidelincluden.com/our-vision.html.

What’s next?
Small grant funds are available for residents who want to effect change within their community. The majority of the funds applied for so far have been to run community events such as community BBQ’s, gala and fun days which have a positive impact on community engagement.

We identified ‘community connectors’ (local people who know a lot of people!) who engaged with the wider community to identify projects they want to commit to and develop. By asking local organisations with a diverse range of skills and experience to get involved in these projects we can begin to make the vision, the ideas and the change happen.

To find out more about the ‘Our Place’ initiative in Lochside and Lincluden, visit the Facebook page

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