Dalry Community Development Hub has gone from strength to strength after a group of locals decided to tackle some of the issues in the town a decade ago.
It was a period when the town lacked a community council so there was no driving force to tackle problems and help move the town forwards.
Now, with several successes under their belts, many in partnership with other community groups and organisations in Dalry, the hub has been shortlisted for the Most Enterprising Community at the Scotland Loves Local Awards.
Sheena Woodside, chair of Dalry Community Development Hub, is modest about the nomination – blowing their own trumpet is not what the hub is about but she reflects on their successes with a sense of pride.
She said: “Dalry Community Development Hub started about 10 years ago because we didn’t have a community council at the time and there were so many different issues in the town that were needing addressed.”
“Our very first project was the Lynn Glen. It has been left to overgrow and it wasn’t accessible. We got a lot of funding and it was absolutely amazing what we did with the Lynn Glen.
“All the community bought into it and it brought so many people to Dalry.”
Bequeathed to the community of Dalry by Margaret Archibald in the 1970s, the Lynn Glen walk is an important asset to the town and its restoration in 2014 has garnered attention from walkers across Scotland.
Following that first success has been many one-off and ongoing projects which have followed including fixing paths into the public park, making improvements to the town centre and working with other community groups and organisations to adopt planters around the town after the council ceased maintaining them.
One of their central ongoing projects, the Dalry Community Garden, had some unexpected benefits after it broke ground in 2021.
Sheena said: “There was town centre funding available and we put out a survey to the community to see what they would like.
“One of the things that came up was a community garden and we thought that was something that the hub could take onboard.
“The Smith Street location came up and we thought that was ideal but then it was Covid.
“Things did go ahead in 2021 and I think the community garden was a bit of a lifeline when it started then because we came together when we were able to socially distance and be outdoors.
“People volunteered to come in and build the beds and the garden has grown arms and legs since then.”
Ahead of the Scotland Loves Local Awards ceremony in Perth, those shortlisted will find out if they have won and Dalry Community Hub will be hoping their enterprising activities will see them beat their competition.
The Bypass ART group is leading the way as they aim to bring local history through the story of Bessie Dunlop – who was executed for witchcraft in 1576 – to the town’s newly constructed bypass as well as the Skirt the Skeith 12k run which follows a historic route through Dalry.
While much has improved in the town, they are not finished yet with plans make Skirt the Skeith more inclusive through a wheelchair race, to host a classic car show and to sell honey from their two Balmore and Pennyland Bee colonies.
Vice chair Valerie Provan added: “We have done a year of beekeeping so we have done the full cycle.
“This year, there hasn’t been enough honey because the weather hasn’t been good. We got enough off of one frame to enable the public and the community to taste it.
“Hopefully, next year, we will get a wee bit more honey.”
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