• Significant spending boost for region is ‘tip of iceberg’ of what can be achieved, towns leader says • People Make Places: Local businesses and organisations get behind Scotland Loves Local Week 2025, urging residents to choose local
An extra £7.5m-a-year could be driven directly into Dumfries and Galloway’s economy if everyone in the region spent just £1-a-week more with local businesses.
Businesses and organisations gathered in Dumfries town centre to highlight the significant difference that can be made - safeguarding the future of businesses and protecting jobs - as part of Scotland Loves Local Week (August 23-30).
Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation which spearheads Scotland Loves Local, has calculated the boost which could come from the simple additional £1 spend with businesses based in towns and villages across the region.
Awareness is being raised throughout this week, under the banner of People Make Places - underpinning the human impact that choosing local has.
Leah Halliday, owner of gift shop and refillery Flourish in Dumfries High Street, is a prominent supporter of the rallying cry to think local first.
She said: “It’s so important that the community shops locally. Any support that they can give local businesses ensures that money stays in the local economy, helping to keep our jobs and shops open. Even the smallest of purchases makes a difference.”
The call to get behind the people who make places across the region is supported by leading regeneration organisations including Dumfries Town Board, Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of Commerce, The Stove Network and Midsteeple Quarter.
The Stove Network runs The Stove Cafe in Dumfries High Street, as well as being involved in culturally-led regeneration initiatives across the region.
Katharine Wheeler, its development director, said: “The Stove is rooted in our local community. We see ourselves as part of the everyday life of the town, working alongside others to make Dumfries a better place to live and work.
“We also support people across the region to lead change where they are, using creativity to spark ideas and bring folk together. Being part of Scotland Loves Local means being part of a shared belief in local knowledge, care and action as the foundations for stronger, more sustainable places.”
Midsteeple Quarter is working to breathe new life into Dumfries town centre as part of an ambitious community-led regeneration vision which has already seen the creation of new homes, enterprise and community spaces at The Standard on the High Street.
Jakon Kaye, Midsteeple Quarter’s enterprise manager, said: “The fact that people make places could not be truer than in Midsteeple Quarter, where the community's vision to breathe new life into the High Street is opening new opportunities for our town centre as a place to live, work and visit.
"Our community-owned buildings are home to an array of locally-owned enterprises - from shops to technology start-ups - all of whom need the support of local people to thrive. Getting behind them, helps to create a better future for us all."
Dumfries Town Board is currently working on a plan to set out long-term investment priorities for Dumfries, backed by local partnerships and community input.
And it will be championing local resilience, place-based growth and community leadership as part of Dumfries Shine, a community-led initiative launching from September 1-6 which will see residents, traders and volunteers joining forces to help Dumfries “look and feel its best, while strengthening our town centre for the future”.
STP flies the flag for the critical part that towns and local neighbourhoods play in creating a better Scotland and the need to invest in them.
Its Chief Officer, Kimberley Guthrie, said: “The reality is that £7.5m is the tip of the iceberg of what can be achieved in Dumfries and Galloway. If £1 more every week can make a transformational impact to the people who make our places, just imagine what is truly possible by choosing local even more.
“Money stays local for longer when you spend with local businesses.The multiplier effect is massive. These businesses spend with other businesses, who employ other local people, who then spend with other local businesses. Every penny spent is an investment in the future of your area.
“The jobs and livelihoods of your neighbours, friends and family depend on you doing so.”
Throughout Scotland Loves Local Week, politicians will be visiting businesses across the country to celebrate the work that they do.
More information getting involved is available at www.lovelocal.scot
