Dunbar and East Linton Area Partnership
April 2025 Newsletter
Making life better
Welcome:
We are entering into a new year with many opportunities for members to participate over the coming weeks, and we do hope that you will take advantage of them.
Dates for your diary:
- 29th April – Area Plan Review – Bleachingfield 2p.m.
- 6th May – Community Learning and Development Workshop
- 12th May – DELAP Business Meeting
Dunbar High Street:
John Muir’s statue is an iconic part of the centre of Dunbar. The statue has recently been repaired in a collaborative project, funded by the Dunbar Community Benefit Fund and organised by the Museums Department.
Jo Waddell and the Dunbar Trades Association organised a clean-up of the High Street and its Closes earlier in the month. The skip hire was organised and funded by Dunbar Community Council through the Community Benefit Fund. The clean-up was in preparation for the High Street Celebration on Saturday 26th April to which all are most welcome.
Improved signage:
Dunbar Shore and Harbour Neighbourhood Group’s Kenny Maule designed and installed this sign which greatly increases the quality of information for visitors, not only telling him the direction in which to walk (which was the strength of the old finger posts) but also indicating how long to allow to get to a destination, and how arduous the walk is. The merit of this signage is that it is low cost to produce, low cost to keep clean and low cost to replace, as well as being positively received by the local community. This project was a joint venture with the Council’s amenities Team who have been very supportive.
Dunbar and East Linton Magazine
The Dunbar and East Linton magazine is currently being hand delivered to every household in Dunbar and West Barns. This is a wonderfully informative booklet which will be of value to everyone in the community. Thanks go to the Dunbar Trades Association, and in particular to Jo Waddell who has led this project, for producing this publication for us. The magazine will also be available in Dunpender and East Lammermuir.
Area Plan:
Our thanks go to Rocio Cartaya Pombo for the preparation she did for our Annual Meeting. It reminded us how many organisations DELAP touches every year.
Rocio has also helped us to put the draft Area Plan into better shape, making it easier for us to have a meaningful review meeting. This will take place at Bleachingfield on Tuesday 29th April for any DELAP members who wish to contribute to the draft before it is put to the May DELAP meeting for final approval.
Community Learning and Development Workshop
Our next DELAP workshop is to be held on Tuesday 6th May and will be held in Bleachingfield at 2pm. The subject is “Community Learning and Development” and the workshop is open to any member of the public who has an interest in how DELAP might be able to make a difference in this area.
Traditional Skills Bursary – An opportunity for Community Learning
Book Barns
The Dunbar Book Barn in Lauderdale Park has been a great success with families. Introducing the very young to books, encouraging them to take books home to enjoy them, and then, if they should so choose, allowing the to bring the books back so that other children might enjoy them, has proved to be a highly appreciated model. East Linton is now hoping to introduce a similar Book Barn.
Health & Well-being:
Funding has been withdrawn by East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership from two important projects for our area. What funds that are currently available have been allocated to the west of the county. DELAP members are working together to see whether funding can be found elsewhere to enable a Link Worker to continue to operate out of our Medical Centres as one project, and also to fund the referrals from the Medical Centres to our Dunbar Leisure Pool as a second project. Both of these initiatives have proven success records in improving the health and well-being of our communities.
Dunbar Dementia Network
Dunbar Dementia Network received financial support from DELAP in the last round of funding. Originally formed to support the carers of those living with dementia, the Dementia Support Group recently celebrated its tenth anniversary under the stewardship of Lorna Bunney (second from right in picture below).
The creation of the charity has enabled the organisation to be independent of East Lothian Council, allowing it to extend its scope and deliver exciting programmes. The ceilidh was enormous fun at West Barns Bowling Club.
DELAP Grant Income 2025/26
We are delighted that the budget for grants has been kept at £45,000 for 2025/26.
Last year’s budget was over-subscribed, but here are details of some more of the projects that DELAP supported –
Recent projects:
Dunbar Debt Advice Service –
| Planned action – DELAP will support East Lothian Council’s Poverty Action Plan |
| Established in 2019, the Dunbar Debt Advice Service has become an ever increasingly important part of our community.Sadly, the number of people in the town needing help has almost trebled over the last few years, so the need for help is great.The good news is that help is greatly appreciated, and comes in all forms including food assistance, mental health support and help with housing. |
Dunbar Dementia Network –
| 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. |
| The demand for support for carers of those living with dementia is constantly growing. The group is full to capacity and extends support to former members who are now bereaved.The programme of activities is time-consuming and costly to organise, and is hugely appreciated by both the carers and those living with dementia.A trip down the canal at Ratho in a barge and many other exciting excursions and workshops are planned fpor the coming year. |