It may or may not be too early to mention Christmas but GSAB already has events in the calendar for 2024 - scroll down to find out more. Thanks to all for signing up to hear more about our projects and events.
Between mailouts do follow us on social media - links are at the bottom of this page. Any feedback on our features, or is there something you'd like to know more about? Contact our team via info@gsabiosphere.org.uk.
The Biosphere boundary expanded this summer and now includes the Rhins of Galloway. 2023 was our first year attending Stranraer Oyster Festival - here's Sara ready to welcome attendees to the GSAB stand. Spot the Blackface wool gilet on the right!
The announcement was made last month that the GSA Biosphere has been awarded £140,000 in Scottish Government funding to lead a new climate hub for D&G. This will cover the entirety of the region and support communities to take local action on climate change impacts. We're now recruiting for two Climate Officers to help delivery of the hub - experience of working in community development and a solid understanding of climate change are essential to the post. Find out more and apply via the link below - closing date is 15th October.
Still on the theme of recruitment, we were delighted to welcome two new members to our staff in September. Ribh Gallacher and Matthew McCulloch have joined in 12-month development posts and will be working as Project Support Officers attached to the Community & Education and Communications & Marketing teams respectively. As a UNESCO designation supported by public funding via South of Scotland Enterprise and three local authorities we are proud to be able to offer these career development opportunities. Find out more about Ribh and Matthew in our feature linked 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 sustainability and the UNESCO Biosphere designation to 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.
The Blackface wool project is gaining pace as we prepare to start manufacturing our range of outerwear garments, all made using fleece sustainably-sourced from farms in the GSA Biosphere region. Since it's Wool Month we'll be hosting three of our popular Bleat n' Blether events, at Sanquhar (10/10), Creetown (23/10) and Girvan (25/10). Everyone's welcome at these afternoon socials, we'll be talking about wool in all its forms and making new friends. Free to attend with light refreshments provided. Book below or email tamara@gsabiosphere.org.uk. Photo is from our 2022 Girvan bleat.
Awards season is well underway and we were incredibly proud to send Jenna and Sara from our team up to Edinburgh this month for the Scottish Land & Estates Helping it Happen Awards, where the GSA Biosphere was a finalist in the Working With Communities category. Meanwhile Marie and Esther (pictured) were in Prestwick for the Ayrshire Business Awards, where we won the Tourism category! We're absolutely delighted and so proud - thanks to all our partners and supporters who recognise that Biosphere is #GoodForBusiness!
Not unconnected to the above: if you're a business owner or manager based anywhere within the 9,720km² covered by the GSA UNESCO Biosphere, then you are eligible to apply for the Biosphere Certification Mark. This trademarked accreditation is entirely free and brings with it networking and marketing opportunities, not least of which are inclusion in our sustainable business directory and promotion as part of Scotland's UNESCO Trail. More info via the link below - applications that come in before the end of November will go the next assessment panel in early 2024, so this is the ideal time to submit your form. Any questions, or would you like a chat ahead of time? Contact our Business Engagement Officer, Jake McLaughlan, via jake@gsabiosphere.org.uk.
The Wild Goose Festival, hosted by our friends at The Stove Network, is exceptional every year. We'll be Birding for Brents on Loch Ryan on 21st October with the British Trust for Ornithology and Scottish Ornithologists' Club, and the day before that the Artful Migration Conference is taking place at Easterbook Hall in Dumfries. Speakers include GSAB's Director, Ed Forrest, alongside an array of expert names in the arts and conservation including Sacha Dench the UN Ambassador for Migratory Species, and Chris Freemantle, Research Fellow and Lecturer at Gray's School of Art.
We bade farewell to the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership in September, which in the words of GSAB's Director Ed, "has celebrated and shared all the reasons why southwest Scotland holds UNESCO Biosphere status, inspiring pride among those who live here and reaching a diverse audience beyond the geographical border of the scheme." Below a couple of photos from one of our favourite GGLP events at the Green Well of Scotland in summer 2022, and the button link will take you to their final publication - a comprehensive look back over the achievements and outcomes of the five-year scheme.
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 Borgue-based artist Annie Butler, galley and antiques shop Burford Antiques in Castle Douglas, and locally-led organisations Stranraer Development Trust and Kirkholm Community Trust. 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.
