The glorious rains of autumn are underway and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere is bright with the season's russets and golds. Our photo below captures a recent amazing day when one of our team went walking at Loch Doon in East Ayrshire, highly recommended for cold weather picnics and other outdoor adventures.
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We're proud and excited to have launched Merrick Scottish Blackface Sheep Knitwear this month, a unique social enterprise creating luxury clothing with 100% wool from local Blackface sheep. Merrick's launch is supported by a Crowdfunder campaign aiming to raise £12.5K for production, marketing, and expansion of our clothing range. We're leading with this story as Likes, Shares and spreading the word are essential to the campaign's success. Please do watch our wee video and read the Merrick story via the blue button below, share the link, donate if you can, and enjoy the Rewards! (PS - @merrickscotland on Instagram.)
Back in September we announced that the GSA Biosphere had been awarded £140,000 in Scottish Government funding to lead a new Community Climate Action Hub for Dumfries & Galloway. We're delighted to have recruited Sarah Thomas and Steven Clark as Climate Officers and the D&G Hub is now officially launched! The Hub is able to support, resource and fund local climate action projects right across D&G so please don't hesitate to get in touch for a chat - find out more via the link below and by following @dgclimatehub on social media.
As if we didn't know it already...Galloway and Southern Ayrshire is officially cool! The GSA Biosphere hit worldwide headlines this month as the region was named on National Geographic's Cool List 2024. This prestigious annual list spotlights the most exciting destinations around the globe and our UNESCO region features alongside Roman sites, beachside cities and Arctic peaks! Choosing one image to sum up the coolness of GSAB and its world class attributes is an impossible task but we love this joyful image of connecting with nature (here at the Hannahston Community Woodland Nature Day) - which is what the UNESCO Biosphere designation is all about. Check out the full National Geographic list via the link below.
A reminder for the business workshop series we're hosting in partnership with D&G arts development organisation Upland, in which we'll explore the value of the UNESCO Biosphere designation and sustainable practice in creative enterprise. Whatever stage your business has reached please do consider joining us at one of the three remaining dates in Thornhill, Stranraer and Wigtown. Free to attend and bookable via Eventbrite, or email esther@gsabiosphere.org.uk to reserve your place.
Our pop-up event in Maybole has been running all this week at a temporary GSAB HQ in the town centre. We've been joined by colleagues from South Ayrshire Council's Community Wealth Building team and VisitScotland and our free business surgeries were well received. For anyone who couldn't make it along this time, our Business Development, Community, Land Use and Biodiversity officers are always available for a chat. There are countless ways to connect with your UNESCO Biosphere whether you're an individual, enterprise, organisation, or school. Email info@gsabiosphere.org.uk to set up a call or explore our What We Do pages via the link below.
Last month we joined friends and partners for the Wild Goose Festival 2023. GSAB's Community and Education team helped run the festival hub in Dumfries, and hosted Birding for Brents at Loch Ryan for the second consecutive year. We were lucky to have a clear sunny day, perfect for watching the Biosphere's beautiful wild birds and waterfowl - the lovely graphic below captures what we saw and might be of help to beginners learning species identification. If you're able, please record local sightings to boost our region's data and support conservation - more on this via SWSEIC at the link below.
In case you missed it: 3rd November was International Day for Biosphere Reserves, a day for celebrating the family of 748 UNESCO Biospheres around the world and widening public understanding of what the designation means for people, nature, and Sustainable Development Goals. If you have a few minutes spare please do take a look at our News feature via the link below, which introduces our sister designations across the UK (and has a great video short all about us). The photo below shows just one of the things that's special about GSAB: our Gold-Tier International Dark Sky Park, here being enjoyed in Nithsdale at an event led by Biosphere Guide Elizabeth Tindal.
Returning to wool before we sign off for November: thanks to all who attended our Wool Month 2023 Bleat n' Blether events. The Blackface wool pilot has been running since autumn 2021 and we've always strived to include a social aspect with opportunities for meeting, sharing, discussion and fun. Our most recent Bleats were held in Sanquhar, Girvan and Creetown and we were delighted to welcome farmers, smallholders, knitters and other creatives, including one guest who raises Blackface sheep in Wisconsin, USA. Please do join our group, The Wool Gathering, on Facebook via the link below - and note that a luxury Bleat, Blether n' Brunch at Nithbank Country Estate is one of the Rewards in the Merrick Crowdfunder campaign!
Finally...a warm welcome to all the individuals, businesses and community groups that have signed up as Proud Supporters of our UNESCO Biosphere recently. They include family-run small animal practice Crossriggs Veterinary Clinic in Cumnock; sustainable rural escape Kingan Cottages; independent Ayrshire sports shop Donsport; alpaca and glamping hotspot Little Peru; Jager Security Ltd in New Cumnock; travel agent and event booking service Holidays From Hayley; Glenluce, Castle Kennedy, Whithorn, and Wallace Hall Primary Schools; North Carrick Community Benefit Company; the Rhins & Luce Red Squirrel Network; and Yipworld, the Ayrshire youth organisation. The commitment of local people to sustainability is amazing and everyone on Team GSAB firmly believes it demonstrates how southwest Scotland can be a model of better living for communities at home and abroad.
