Kirkcudbright News

New Kirkcudbright Pedestrian Signs

From left to right: Andy Campbell, Alex Kinnell, Lyn Langton & David Devereux

Visitors to Kirkcudbright will now find it much easier to find their way around the town’s fifteen public attractions and facilities through the installation of a new, uniform series of seven black and gold finger-post signs. The project was initiated by Rotary Club of Kirkcudbright and taken up by the Kirkcudbright Forum, under whose auspices the greater part of the funding required was secured. The project would not have gone forward without a successful application to the Dumfries and Galloway Coastal Benefit Fund, administered by Dumfries and Galloway Council, and the all-important support of several community organisations – the Rotary Club of Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbright Development Trust, Kirkcudbright Summer Festivities, the Harbour Cottage Trust and Kirkcudbright History Society which together provided the necessary local match funding required to secure the main grant. The Forum also received a total of 10 letters of support for the project from various organisations in the community.

Kirkcudbright Forum are very grateful to all funders and supporters for their contribution.

Alex Kinnell led a small project team from the Forum, which designed and steered the signage project to its successful conclusion. Andy Campbell, chairman of Kirkcudbright Forum, commented:-

“In many ways this project brought out the very best in Kirkcudbright. The community
identified a way in which the Town would benefit from more attractive looking signage and lots of people in the community all pulled together to deliver the project in a very short period of time. I believe that the signs will be very much appreciated by both residents and visitors to the Town.”

Summer Festivities 50th year anniversary

2021 is our 50th year anniversary since our very first event when we started way back in 1971, and not only that we are celebrating our win of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service that we received mid 2020, so 2021 is a big year for us. On top of that we have also had to battle with Covid-19, so for 2021, we are going bigger and better than ever before! One of our first ever events, 50 years ago, was our Floodlit Tattoo, and if you thought it was amazing before… you aren’t ready for 2021. We also plan on hosting a few more events throughout the year to help us celebrate this momentous year.

But, unfortunately, there is a but. We are a voluntary organisation and we operate on donations and funding, and the cost to put on our events often gets underappreciated. If you added up the cost to host all our events throughout the year, we could have a few Festivities branded Ferraris! So, to help us make this year the best one yet, and much bigger than before, we ask for a little contribution to help us. Anything is greatly appreciated! You may also see a few changes throughout the year to clean up a few areas that have been a bit dusty. Depending on the donations we receive, funding we are granted and our own finances, although it pains us to do it, we may also have to raise ticket prices one or two pound. However, it will be well worth the tiny price increase once you are sitting on St Cuthbert Street and 7pm rolls around, just wait and see. Oh, and compared to another tattoo you may have heard of, the one with the slightly larger castle in the background, our prices are still very cheap for the amazing atmosphere you are immersed within

Donations
You can donate to our Tattoo fundraiser here: https://www.givey.com/50kbttattoo

Or just to Summer Festivites in general here:  https://www.givey.com/kbtfestivities

2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain

Scotland to host opening stage of the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain

Scotland will host the opening stage of the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain on Saturday 7 September with Stage One of Britain’s national Tour beginning in George Square in Glasgow and finishing in Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway.

The stage will be jointly hosted by EventScotland, Glasgow Life and Dumfries and Galloway Council. Today announcement follows Glasgow and Scotland’s recent success in securing the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023, which was announced earlier in the year.

This year’s race will begin on a Saturday for the first time since 2010, allowing the Glasgow Grand Depart to form part of an exciting weekend of cycling as the 20th anniversary edition of the Pedal for Scotland charity event departs from the city on the Sunday morning. The 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain will run over eight stages from Saturday 7 to Saturday 14 September.

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Events play a vital role in our visitor economy and the OVO Energy Tour of Britain is part of an exciting calendar of cycling events, taking place across Scotland this summer. With more than 2,000 miles of the National Cycle Network covering the country, the event provides the perfect stage to showcase this to an international audience of cycling enthusiasts.

“As a long-term partner, EventScotland is delighted to be continuing its support of the Tour of Britain in 2019. The successful hosting of this annual event has helped establish Scotland as a world leading sports destination, which, was key in securing the inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.”

Dumfries and Galloway also most recently welcome the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in 2016, but has been a regular fixture on the route of Britain’s most prestigious cycle race, having hosted stages on nine previous occasions, with winners including Mark Cavendish, Edvald Boasson Hagen and Elia Viviani.

Councillor Adam Wilson, the Council’s Events Champion said, “Cycling fans in our corner of Scotland will be thrilled with the news that the Tour of Britain is to return to Dumfries and Galloway. The Tour is a much loved event here, and we are proud of our long association with the UK’s most significant cycling event. To host Stage One is a great privilege that we are delighted to accept and will work to ensure is a great success.”

OVO Energy Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said, “We are delighted to be returning to Scotland and look forward once again to a warm welcome for the opening stage of this country’s biggest professional bike race.

“Both Glasgow and Dumfries & Galloway have hosted some fantastic and memorable stages of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain, and I am confident that this September will be no different.”