The officer team from the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere will be hosting a public engagement event in Newton Stewart on 20 th June at the new Biosphere Office on Queen Street.
Running between 9:30 – 5pm, the event will see the Biosphere team on-site all day to answer questions and share opportunities for support that are available to local businesses, organisations, community groups and social enterprise. The schedule includes free workshops for business owners, which will introduce the Biosphere Certification Mark accreditation scheme and international marketing campaigns such as Scotland’s UNESCO Trail.
‘Making the Most of the Biosphere’ sessions will run at 12 noon and 3pm, while the Biosphere’s Nature Recovery Officer Antoine Lemaire will host a morning ‘Business & Biodiversity’ workshop starting at 10am.
Since being established as a SCIO in 2013 the GSA Biosphere Partnership has built a team of seventeen staff, which includes paid internships for early career starters and Climate Officers delivering the D&G Climate Hub, and moved into the new office at 37 Queen Street, Newton Stewart in February this year. Its pioneering initiatives support sustainable local enterprise at no cost to the businesses themselves, and are part of an offer that connects microand SMEs with a wider regional network and the power of UNESCO’s global brand. The GSA Biosphere Partnership has been widely recognised for its innovative business development programme, including winning RSPB Nature of Scotland and VisitScotland Scottish Thistle awards.
Looking ahead to the engagement day, Marie McNulty, the Biosphere’s Business Development lead, said, “We’ve been warmly welcomed by the community since moving into our Newton Stewart office and have already had the pleasure of hosting some fantastic events locally, including the Green Fayre in May. This a very special town for the UNESCO region, being so close to the conservation heartland of the Biosphere – our Core Areas at Cairnsmore of Fleet, Silver Flowe and Merrick-Kells. The event on 20 th June is open to all and we’re excited to share our programme, especially to find out directly from residents about where the GSA Biosphere Partnership can be of most help to them. Hopefully this will be the start of many new connections and working relationships that will bring tangible, long term benefits to Newton Stewart.”
Galloway and Southern Ayrshire was designated a UNESCO Biosphere in 2012 and in the decade since has led a range of cross-sector initiatives in conservation, education, sustainable development and climate awareness. A registered Scottish charity, the GSA Biosphere Partnership is supported by core funding from South of Scotland Enterprise and three local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway Council. More information about events, activities, and opportunities to get involved is available at www.gsabiosphere.org.uk or by email request to [email protected].
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