Castle Douglas Development Forum; A Changemaker for 2021
The Castle Douglas Development Forum has just been named as one of the 100 Change makers for 2021 by national homeless magazine, The Big Issue.
For the past two years The Big Issue has created and celebrated a list of 100 Changemakers, it includes innovators, radical thinkers, and up and comers who will be doing things to make theword a better place over the next 12 months. The Big Issue’s Changemakers for 2021 is a list that commends the work of those done in 2020 and identifies whose work will continue to make a change into 2021.
In a year where the spirit of community has been demonstrated across Britain by thousands of people, Castle Douglas’ efforts to turn its tourist information centre into a food bank is recognized in The Big Issue. After a local food aid network lost its distributions venues in April 2020, Castle Douglas Development Forum was asked whether they would support those affected by the outbreak of Covid-19 by hosting a food bank. Within 24 hours the Heart of Galloway had been transformed, and a team led by Elizabeth Stansfield, Sarah-Jane Allsopp, and Neill Walker was delivering food parcels across the Stewartry. The Big Issue particularly commends Castle Douglas Development Forum for keeping its food bank open for the duration of the pandemic and recognizing the extent of rural poverty in the area.
The food bank is now part of the Castle Douglas Development Forum’s Stepping Stones project,and has permanent residences on King Street. Vivianne Brown, the project manager of Stepping Stones says: “I am delighted that all the hard work of our volunteers and the generosity of our community has been recognized”. Since teaming up with Picnic Bakery and Deli to deliver Christmas dinners across Castle Douglas the food bank has continued to be overwhelmed with generous donations into the New Year, and will continue to provide food parcels across the Stewartry for those in need in 2021.
