The Galloway News
HIGHSTREET’SIN THEDOLDRUMS
Concerns have been raised about the future of Dalbeattie High Street following the announcement of three shop closures within weeks. Councillor David Stitt said the town has been “decimated” amid the worst cost of living crisis in memory. Kerry...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FIVE OPERATIONS ARE CANCELLED EVERYDAY
Around five hospital operations a day were cancelled by NHS Dumfries and Galloway last year. The shocking figures were revealed following a freedom of information request to the health board. Of the 1,785 that were cancelled in 2024/25, 1,681 were...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BIGROYAL ACCOLADE FORKATE
A woman who has spent her life dedicated to children in the Stewartry has been recognised in the King’s New Year Honours List. Kathleen Kaye, better known as Kate, will receive the British Empire Medal for her services to Early Years Childcare. After...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WARHERO CELEBRATES HIS105TH BIRTHDAY
Christmas celebrations came a week early for a Castle Douglas World War II veteran as he celebrated his 105th birthday on December 19. Oliver Gordon Davies’ family are keen to know if he’s now the oldest resident in the region. Oliver, pictured inset...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TOOMANY OAPSDYING NEEDLESSLY INHOSPITAL
The region’s failing health and social care system needs to be ripped up and replaced in order to save elderly people from dying needlessly in hospital. This was the plea from one councillor as Dumfries and Galloway Council officially declared a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CHRISTMAS PRESENTFOR FLEETGROUP
An early Christmas present from the Scottish Land Fund will help Galloway’s Gatehouse Development Initiative to purchase the former Woodside Garage site. The £157,345 award enables the community to take ownership of the long-derelict site in Fleet and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DALBEATTIE LIT UP FOR CHRISTMAS
Christmas lights switch-on attracts a huge following
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WINDFARMWAR OFATTRITION
A constant battle against windfarm developments has descended into a “war of attrition” in the Stewartry, villagers have claimed this week. Corsock and Kirkpatrick Durham Community Council members have hit out ahead of yet another row over planning...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FAMILIES HIT BY CRISIS IN HEALTHCARE
Families in Dumfries and Galloway are now facing a serious healthcare crisis that is worsening by the day, an MSP warned this week. Speaking in a members’ Holyrood debate that he initiated, Finlay Carson argued: “Let me by absolutely clear, rural...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
HOLYROOD SCHEME HAS FAILED FARMERS
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson has hit out in Holyrood over the Future Farm Investments Scheme falling short for the region’s farmers. Carson has revealed his inbox had been full of emails over the weekend from agents who have had “less...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PUBLICINQUIRYFOR WINDFARMSCHEME
Controversial plans for a windfarm in Galloway will now go to a public inquiry and the Scottish Government will have a final say on whether the scheme goes ahead. Campaigners who have fought the proposal by Renewable Energy Systems to build 14...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SCHOOLS CLOSURE THREAT AS COUNCIL LOOKS TO SAVE £35M
Schools across the Stewartry could be under threat of closure due to budget cuts. And Castle Douglas Art Gallery could also be in line for the axe. The council has started a consultation on possible savings for next year’s budget, with a number of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WEWEREN’T GIVENA FAIRSHAKE
The council has been criticised for not telling the Castle Douglas community the fair was coming to town. A fence is usually put up around Kelton the Beltie on Market Hill ahead of any civic events. But locals say they weren’t informed about last...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
COUNCILLOR BLASTS BANKING CLOSURES
A Stewartry councillor claims planned bank closures will “discriminate” against elderly and disabled people. And Abbey councillor Davie Stitt claims banking bosses “don’t give two hoots” about the public who will be affected by the closure. The...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FEARS OVER PUPILS’ SAFETY ON ROAD
Parents are demanding action after school children were almost knocked down at a Castle Douglas junction. The group of youngsters were using the crossing between Jenny’s Loaning and Queen Street when a car went through a red light, almost hitting...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RESIDENTS SLAM PLANS FOR NEW KIDS CARE HOME
Dozens of residents are fiercely opposing plans to set up a children’s residential care home near Crocketford. Forty-one people have lodged formal objections with the council after the Caretech Group submitted proposals to transform a large house on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TOURISM TAX PLAN SHOULD BE KICKED INTO LONG GRASS
The possibility of a tourist tax being introduced in Dumfries and Galloway should be “kicked into the long grass”. The council is set to hold a consultation into a possible visitor levy, with people coming to the region paying an extra fee on top of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WIND FARM FIGHT IS FAR FRO MOVER
Campaigners are warning the fight to stop a windfarm in Galloway is “far from won”. A public inquiry is to be held into Energiekontor UK’s Glenvernoch’s scheme after councillors lodged an objection. Members of the Hands Off Our Hills group protested...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DRIVERS FLOUT SAFETY MEASURES ON BRIDGE
Staff working on Kirkcudbright Bridge have been subjected to foul-mouthed rants from drivers. And that has led to them wearing bodycams for protection – as well as to catch motorists breaking the rules. Councillors will be told next week that a small...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CANCER VICTIMS ONTHE RISEIN REGION
Cancer claimed the lives of nearly 600 people across Dumfries and Galloway in just one year. New figures show that while the risk of dying from the disease in Scotland has hit a record low, the rate in this region is at its highest level since...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CASH APPEAL TO RESTORE RESCUE TEAM
Funds are needed to ensure a lifesaving service that’s been on the go for more than 50 years can once again help out in emergencies. Fleet Bay Inshore Rescue Boat can’t officially be called out by the Coastguard as it no longer complies with their...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘LIFELINE’ BUS SERVICE AXED
A “lifeline” bus service is set to end next week. Low passenger numbers mean the 512 Castle Douglas town route will no longer operate from August 7. The move has been criticised by Castle Douglas Community Council treasurer Martin Fortnum (pictured...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
KAYAKER DIES AT BAY BEAUTY SPOT
A man died as he attempted to help a fellow kayaker in trouble at a Stewartry beauty spot. The incident happened at Carrick Bay. Coastguard crews – including a helicopter – police and Great North Air Ambulance were sent to the scene last Thursday...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PARENTS’ FEARS FOR CHILDREN’S SAFETY
Parents claim speeding motorists are putting lives at risk in Crossmichael. The village is covered by a 30mph limit but locals say drivers regularly ignore it. And that is making the busy A713 Castle Douglas to Ayr road difficult for people to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NEW WINDFARM BATTLE PICKS UP
The fight against a new windfarm has gone beyond the boundaries of the Stewartry. One man made a 130-mile round trip from Ayrshire to show his opposition to Wind 2 Energy’s plans for Lairdmannoch near Gatehouse. And a family from the north of England...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BRIDGE LINK NOW REOPEN
Kirkcudbright Bridge finally reopened to traffic yesterday. A three-tonne weight limit, bollards and traffic lights have been introduced to allow the crossing to be used by cars and light vans. But Alan Johnstone, a former civil engineer with the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
REINSTATE ‘LOST’ £10M TO REGION
Councillors are demanding the Scottish Government reinstate £10 million lost to the region through the collapse of the Galloway National Park proposals. Councillor Linda Dorward (pictured right), who spoke strongly in favour of the plans, believes a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BUS STOP CHAOS
Around 130 jobs are on the line as Stagecoach prepares to pull the plug on the majority of services across the region. The bus operator could not agree a new contract with the council, leaving the local authority trying to find alternative transport...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PETITION TO KEEP LOLLIPOP CROSSING
A campaign has been launched to keep a lollipop lady at a “dangerous” crossing. Parents have hit out at plans to get rid of crossing staff near Dalbeattie Learning Campus due to budget cuts. Instead, pupils making their way to school will have to use...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FEARSOVERBIDFOR CHILDREN’S HOME
A residential home for children could have “catastrophic implications” on a tiny village. CareTec want to use a house in Milton near Crocketford for the service. But that has sparked a furious backlash from locals, who are concerned about the lack of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DECISION DAY ON A NATIONAL PARK FOR GALLOWAY
It’s D Day for the most controversial issue to hit the region for decades. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon is set to make a ministerial statement at Holyrood this afternoon on whether to designate Galloway as a national park. Galloway and West...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WE WON’T STOP OUR FIGHT FOR A NEW BRIDGE
Kirkcudbright residents will continue to pressure the council for a new bridge. The local authority has announced the crossing – closed since the end of March due to safety reasons – will reopen to some traffic by the start of July. And while that...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FACILITY‘S A DREAM PITCH FOR ROVERS
A near million pound new sports facility could create jobs in Castle Douglas. Threave Rovers is working on proposals for a new 3G, full size allweather surface beside its existing football ground at Meadow Park. The £900,000 scheme is in the early...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BINCUTSHAVELED TOABSOLUTEMESS
Litter louts left piles of rubbish at a Stewartry beauty spot after a weekend of bank holiday camping. But locals are pinning part of the blame on the cost-cutting council for taking away layby bins in a bid to save £42,000 a year. Robin Hood, who...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
TRADERS WON’T LET BRIDGE CLOSURE BEAT THEM OURTOWNISSTILL OPENFORBUSINESS
Kirkcudbright businesses are “shouting from the rooftops”that the town is still open for business. Traders have reported footfall is down by as much as 40 per cent following the closure of the town’s bridge in March due to serious safety concerns. A...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
YOUR HELP WILL BRING SOME HOPE
A Galloway duo have made an urgent appeal for donations ahead of their mercy mission to Ukraine. Andy Macdonald from Kirkcudbright and Iain Gordon from Stranraer will deliver humanitarian aid to the war-torn country in August. They’ll be taking three...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BUSINESSESAREHIT BYBRIDGECLOSURE
The sudden closure of Kirkcudbright Bridge is beginning to “bite” local businesses. Some are reporting a 20 per cent drop in trade since the council closed the near 100-year-old structure with just an hour’s notice last month. Dee and Glenkens...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
OAPS PRAISE FIREFIGHTERS
Two pensioners have praised rescuers for saving their lives during the horrific wildfires that ripped through Galloway Forest Park. Eric and Sandra Baird said they “could have died” if firefighters hadn’t been able to save a wooden bridge they were...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MANISAIRLIFTED FROMPARKRUN
A man was airlifted to hospital after falling ill while taking part in a sports event in Castle Douglas. A critical care health team was flown by air ambulance to the scene at Lochside Park on Saturday morning. Organisers of the parkrun said the man...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ANGER AT SHOCK BRIDGE CLOSURE
The sudden closure of Kirkcudbright Bridge has left residents in “shock”. The council closed the crossing, which is nearly 100 years old, to vehicles with barely an hour’s notice on Friday due to safety concerns. Nicole Hunter, who runs her VIP Brows...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NHS staff faced 451 attack sat work
More than 450 attacks on NHS staff in Dumfries and Galloway have been reported in the past five years. The shocking statistic was revealed after a series of freedom of information requests by the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Scottish Lib Dem leader,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FREE£3BET SHOP WITH BACKA WINNER! VALID ON GOLD CUP FRIDAY
It’s finally here! The Cheltenham Festival sees some of the stars of the National Hunt scene look to add their name to racing history. We’ve teamed up with William Hill to bring you a massive £3 free bet to use on Friday’s Gold Cup Day extravaganza!...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PARK THESE OUTDATED RESTRICTIONS
Traders are calling for a “devastating” parking restriction in Castle Douglas to be changed. The council is set to renew existing legislation on King Street which limits people to just one hours’ parking. However, locals believe the limit should be...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
RESIDENTS’ FEARS OVER VILLAGE BRIDGE
Residents of a Stewartry village fear their historic bridge could be in danger unless the council acts. The Old Bridge of Dee is nearly 300 years old, but is under threat from modern day heavy lorries. And that has led to people living in Bridge of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘CRAZY’ PYLON PLAN TO GO AHEAD
Campaigners have blasted the “crazy” decision to allow more than 100 pylons to be built across the Stewartry. SP Energy Networks (SPEN) have been given the go ahead for the Kendoon to Tongland Reinforcement project by Scottish Ministers – despite a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
FINALCHANCETO HAVEYOURSAYON ANATIONALPARK
The public consultation for a proposed Galloway National Park closes at midnight tonight. More than 1,000 people across the region have had their say on the SNP’s plans for Scotland’s third national park. Public events and online sessions have been...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CROSSING IS PARKING MAD
Plans to spend tens of thousands of pounds replacing a pedestrian crossing in Castle Douglas have been blasted by locals. The council wants to swap the King Street pelican crossing for a puffin crossing, which is deemed to be safer, at a cost of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CALLS TO DELAY PARK BID PROCESS
A call has been made for the consultation on a potential Galloway National Park to be paused. Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson claims there are “several significant and serious challenges and criticism” of the process. And he fears people...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ICE CREAM FIRM TO RELOCATE
An award-winning ice cream brand will no longer be made in the region which bears its name. Cream o’ Galloway, launched by Wilma and David Finlay in 1994, was taken over by Brymor Ice Cream in 2023. Brymor has now announced it will be moving...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
On top of the world
A Dalbeattie man has cycled around the world ... without leaving Europe. And in the process, Guy Bryson has raised more than £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. The 54-year-old initially took on a ride in Wales to raise money for the charity – but...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
COUNCILACTIONTO LIGHTENTHELOAD
The weight limit on Kirkcudbright’s bridge has been more than halved due to drivers ignoring the previous restriction. The council claims drivers of heavy vehicles were “abusing” the 17 tonne limit on the near century old structure, which is signed as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
THANKS FOR SPREADING FESTIVE JOY
The “off the scale” support of generous Stewartry communities has helped spread cheer over the festive season. Donations of food and toys came flooding in to a number of projects to ensure people in need could still have a Christmas. Dalbeattie...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Santa’s little helpers
Two kind-hearted siblings have spread some festive cheer thanks to their wonderful pottery. Springholm Primary pupils Pippin and Fred Fitch have been selling small, ceramic brooches over the course of the year. Their endeavours raised an incredible...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Madge is a charity champion
Good things come in small packages as the saying goes. And they don’t come much better in terms of kindness of spirit and generosity than Springholm’s Madge Beswick. She and daughter Lizzie give me the warmest of welcomes as I walk into her home in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WHEELSINMOTION
It’s all systems go at Dalbeattie after work on a £7.8 million outdoor activities centre finally got under way. The town’s former primary school will be transformed into a base for mountain biking and indoor climbing – and much more. Once the Rocks...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DELIVERING JOY AT CHRISTMAS
A festive toy appeal is under way in Castle Douglas to bring Christmas joy to local kids. Royal Mail Castle Douglas cover manager Graeme Woods has launched the special Christmas Toy Drive. He wants to make sure no local families miss out simply...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
COUNCILFINALLY SEEROADSENSE
Community pressure for improved “signs and lines” at a Castle Douglas roundabout appears to have paid off. Locals have been pushing for better signs and repainted lines at the junction at the top of King Street, rather than a multi-million pound...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
BLOW TO CASTLE DOUGLAS LARDER PROJECT
A new Castle Douglas community support service is in jeopardy – despite a £30,000 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund. Stepping Stones Community Larder and Foodbank on St Andrew Street was thrilled when its cash bid for a health and home...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Regionfalls silent intribute towarheroes
Remembrance services took place across the Stewartry at the weekend where two-minute silences were observed and parades by military personnel held. The Castle Douglas branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland, led by parade commander Tremayne...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
MUM’S GOAL IS TO HELP
With a handful of committed people any community can achieve great things. And Tarena Dickie of Gatehouse certainly falls into that bracket. Married to self-employed building developer Kris, the 45-year-old is mother to Ayden, 15, and Olivia, who, as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
WE’LL FIGHT FOR FUTURE OF HOSPITAL
Campaigners have vowed to fight on after in-patient facilities at Kirkcudbright Hospital were axed. Geoff Dean and Mary Mier-Roberts of the Save Kirkcudbright Hospital Action Group met with members of the region’s integration joint board ahead of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘AXING BEDS IS WRONG OPTION’
Kirkcudbright Hospital’s inpatient facility looks set to be axed for good. The site has been mothballed since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, despite calls for the facility to be reopened. Health officials are now recommending it is turned into a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
DOINGNOTHING ‘ NOT AN OPTION’
Speakers from both sides of the Galloway National Park debate addressed a packed audience in Kirkbean on Monday night. And it was standing room only in the village hall as more than 150 people crammed into the venue. Ronnie Stevenson and Brendan...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Teed up for US trip
Four pals from Castle Douglas have won the trip of a lifetime to one of the world’s most famous golf tournaments. David McBeth, Chris Anderson, Iain McIntyre and Sean Gilchrist came out on top in Golf Scotland’s US Masters Texas Scramble...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A LIFE BOOST ON THE LOCH
A project aiming to breathe new life into a Castle Douglas beauty spot is under way. Loch Ken Trust has secured a grant of almost £10,000 from the Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund for an ecosystem study of Carlingwark Loch. The work will also involve...
Read Full Story (Page 1)