Dunbar and East Linton Area Partnership
Making life better
Welcome:
Our financial year 2024/25 is coming to an end and we hope that you have enjoyed being kept abreast of what has been happening in the Area Partnership.
Annual Meeting:
Our Annual Meeting will be held this month at Bleachingfield at 7 o’clock on 24th March. It is an opportunity for the General Public to come along to hear from our Chair, Allison Cosgrove. She will report on the Area Partnership’s achievements over the last year and its plans for 2025/26
East Linton Day Centre:
Allison had a very rewarding visit to Lynton Day Centre recently, when she was shown around the Centre by the Chair, James Wyllie, and introduced to the staff and volunteers. The Centre can cater for up to 16 people each weekday, and it is well utlised.
A home cooked lunch was being prepared in the Centre’s kitchen, with individual dietary needs well catered for. The Centre also benefits from a supply of apples during the autumn, grown in the village Community Orchard, which are much appreciated for puddings and apple juice.
A variety of activities are on offer, from games and quizzes to entertainment. Outreach services to users’ homes are also available. Users in outlying areas are collected and returned via a local minibus each day.
East Lothian Community Benefits SCIO:
All four Community Councils in the Area Partnership are members of East Lothian Community Benefits SCIO. Thanks to the leadership of Chris Bruce and East Lammermuir Community Council, and with the financial support of Scottish Enterprise and CWPEnergy Ltd, the charity has been able to commission a Danish feasibility study into the viability of introducing District Heating Systems into East Lothian.
A new Banking Hub in the Area:
We have been delighted to welcome our new Banking Hub onto Dunbar’s High Street.All of the basic banking services are open to everyone in our DELAP Area between 9 am and 5 pm five days per week. Only when an individual wants to discuss an account specific matter, or details of what is available in the financial market, will there be a need to discover which bank is also attending on a particular day. If someone wants to pay money in, or take money out, the Hub is open for them five days per week.
Roads:
It has been a busy month for the Roads Department in the DELAP Area. Castle Street has been resurfaced, and the northern part of Dunbar High Street between the West Port and Victoria Street has also received similar treatment. The problems along the road to Stenton have also been rectified.
DELAP will continue to discuss projects that our Local Place Plan identified as being important to the Community. These include improved paths, including the widening of the path along Spott Road.
Amenities:
During the course of this month, the new Lauderdale Play Park was re-opened to the general public, and it has been met with great public approval. The Sensory Trail has also been opened in Lauderdale Park, a project financed by Dunbar Community Council which would not have been delivered without the help of the Amenities Team.
The same Amenities Team also supported Dunbar Against Litter by installing two litter bins close to the Grammar School which they will now service. Our hope is that the school children will find it easier to take a greater interest in keeping their area litter free.
Intergenerational Group:
This group, which brings young and not-so-young members of our community together, has received support from DELAP in the past. The latest initiative, funded by Community Windpower money and donations from local developers, was the provision of a barista machine to the group which is now providing the young people with new skills. This group is now a well embedded part of our life.
High Street Residents’ Grouo:
Preliminary meetings are to be followed up with an Annual General Meeting later on this month.
Community Engagement:
Jo McNamara is leading a group to work out how to work more effectively with what we have already in the Area. She recommends an event to come together, celebrate our achievements and explore ideas to identify and establish a process that will take us forward in these challenging times. She will welcome help from anyone wanting to develop this event.
Recent grants:
Our recent grants all line up with our Area Plan objectives and many of them relate specifically to the actions we agreed at our Health & Social Care Workshop last year.
Karele –
| Planned action – DELAP will support the work done by The Ridge, Sustaining Dunbar (Belhaven Garden), Dunbar Dementia Network, Dunbar Day Centre and similar third sector organisations working with mental health.It will also support anyone who is aiming to start up an organisation that will help people with mental health challenges. |
| 17 disadvantaged young people will receive an 8-week block of Equine Facilitated Activities and Learning which will improve their mental health and wellbeing in a nurturing, safe and supportive Environment |
The Ridge –
| Planned action – DELAP will support thespace and The Ridge and similar third sector organisations with initiatives to help reduce drug and alcohol abuse. Also promote the places where help can be sought |
| The grant will help The Ridge to expand its rural community outreach service, based on a successful pilot in East Linton, to provide a monthly advice and support drop-in service for community members who live in our rural East Lammermuir villages in the Area. |
The Dunbar Youth Project –
| Planned action- DELAP will support projects that promote exercise in the area |
| The grant will enable DACYP to organise life walks and engage with young people in the beautiful countryside around Dunbar, enjoying each other’s company at a summer camp. |
Details of other grants awarded will follow in next month’s newsletter.