Dunbar and East Linton Area Partnership
Welcome:
This is the first quarterly newsletter, telling you what the Area Partnership has been doing, and what its plans are for the coming months. Thank you for taking the time to read about this news. We hope that you enjoy it and we look forward to hearing from all of you who are so actively involved in making our community a better place to live in.
We realise that not everyone has the time or inclination to become a member of the Area Partnership, and this month we have written out to all community groups in our area to ask whether we can be of any help or support in any of the projects they may be planning or hoping to deliver. If we have by any chance missed you from our list please do not hesitate to contact us via the details you can find on our website.
Membership:
The make-up of the Area Partnership can be found on the website under ‘Members’. Included in this membership are up to six community groups, and we look for members who can contribute to the work of the partnership as well as their own groups. In November 2024 we will be seeking applications for community groups who would like to give of their time to support the Area Partnership in 2025/26, with a view to the Area Partnership selecting the community members in January for the coming year.
Priorities for 2024/25:
We are hoping to hear back from community groups about their projects before 20th October 2024, so that these plans can be prioritised in November where financial help is required. The financial budget is limited to £45,000 in 2024/25 and over £10,000 of this money has already been committed. However, where the Area Partnership cannot help financially, it will endeavour to signpost the way to where money might be available.
Wherever help or advice is needed, particularly where the project involves working with East Lothian Council in some respect, the Area Partnership exists to endeavour to help community groups to deliver their aspirations, so we want to hear from you.
The results of our November deliberations will be communicated in the next newsletter.
Recent successes over the summer of 2024:
Lamer Street improvements:
The following improvements have been funded by individual members and planned by the local community group (Dunbar Shore & Harbour Neighbourhood Group which is a member of the Area Partnership). The implementation has been a partnership of the local group working together with East Lothian Council, supported by DELAP.
There was no handrail down to the East Beach. There now is.
Planters have brightened up the sea front along Lamer Street and have been principally been looked after by members of the local community, but have been helped along the way by East Lothian Council’s Amenities team.
Community events:
East Lammermuir’s Local Place Plan emphasised the importance of Flower shows and similar community events to the places we live in. DELAP has been proud to promote the successful Innerwick and Oldhamstocks flower shows this year.
Similarly, East Linton’s Community Fair was supported by DELAP and this is another important event in the area’s calendar.
Upcoming events:
Black Bull Close will be opening this autumn, providing exciting new facilities for Dunbar. The work of The Ridge (a DELAP member for many years) provides highly valued training opportunities for all ages, but especially the young, and help for many of the disadvantaged in our society.
Roads:
Over the last few weeks, one of the main arterial routes into Dunbar along Spott Road has been resurfaced for us.
The safety improvements that the Roads Department has discussed with DELAP to improve Preston Road in East Linton have been completed. This makes the road more accessible to all.
The Roads Department of the Council prioritises its forthcoming work in December, so DELAP will pull together the suggestions from the four Community Councils and any other interested community group so that these suggestions can be considered during the December review.
Amenities:
The Amenities team has helped to deliver various projects over the summer which have been proposed by the community. These include the introduction of the Book Barn at Lauderdale Park and the grass cutting at Spott.
The Amenities team is always keen to help and, while realising that financial resources for Amenities is strictly limited, DELAP tries to suggest what work can be stopped to enable more valued work to be undertaken.
Health:
DELAP was pleased to support the Fishermen’s Mission’s initiative to bring a dental facility to Dunbar on 4thOctober as part of the SEAFIT programme, and was very grateful to Dunbar Harbour Trust for hosting the event. There was helpful health advice given to attendees by volunteer stall holders who gave of their time to support this event.
Laura Chant of the NHS held a workshop on 16th October in Bleachingfield for the community, seeking to understand what drives health inequality in our area, so that we can work out initiatives, such as the SEAFIT project, that will help to address these inequalities.
The workshop was well attended and the output has kindly been documented by Laura for us.
Community Learning and Development:
DELAP will be organising a further workshop in January 2025 to consider how it can contribute to the learning and development programme in the parts of our community where it is most needed.
Communications:
Dunbar and East Linton now has a new website which can be found at https://delareapartnership.org.uk
It continues to publish local news on its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/706073786230393
New administrator:
DELAP is very grateful to the many years of service that Lorna MacLennan gave to the Area partnership as its administrator. Lorna retired earlier in the year and has been sorely missed.