Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG) has revealed a new social enterprise team to help enhance the contribution of the sector to the economic development of the region. The team will work to embed Community Wealth Building principles, strengthen the social enterprise ecosystem, and ensure the voice of local organisations is represented in decision-making processes…. Read more »
Currently closed The Realising Market Potential fund is designed to help social enterprises in the region grow their businesses and strengthen the local social economy. With a total fund of £50,000 available, social enterprises were able to apply for grants of up to £5,000 to support innovative projects that explore new markets, launch pilot initiatives,… Read more »
Fledgling enterprises in Dumfries are being offered the chance to trade for free on the High Street. The opportunity to make use of The Smithy from Fridays until Mondays is part of a package of support being made available for start-ups through a Pop-up Enterprise Hub initiative aimed at providing a springboard to success. Led… Read more »
The purpose of SEDG is to create opportunities for the Dumfries and Galloway social enterprise community to develop and thrive.
The free event is delivered by social enterprise agency Firstport in collaboration with Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway.
The programme of visits is supported by South of Scotland Enterprise and organised by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway.
The social enterprise operates the Community Reuse Shop, The Re:Loved Shop, Fed Up Community Café and Rhins Active.
The app has been developed as part of a wider concerted effort to make SOSE more accessible to businesses, community groups and individuals in the South of Scotland.
As part of its engagement work, Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway host and help run thematic forums. Currently, we support forums centred on: Community Health and Wellbeing Children and young people Tackling poverty Employability Social Enterprise The forums are open to any third sector organisation or community group that self-identifies as having a role to… Read more »
The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) are holding a competition to support social enterprises in developing products and services that tackle some of the impacts of ageing. Funded by UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Healthy Ageing Challenge, the competition provides full funding of up to £150,000 for individual successful projects as a share of an… Read more »
A team of five specialists can offer one-to-one support or an independent perspective on a social enterprise’s vision or structure.
South of Scotland Enterprise will develop its own offering through new services, support and funding.
A simple example of a code that can be used within your social enterprise.
An overview of common legal structures for social enterprises, at a glance.
Before you create a new social enterprise, like starting any new business, there are things to consider. We suggest you spend some time thinking about what you want to achieve, the time you have available currently to get it going, and what you need to do to get started. How to get started Starting a… Read more »
New Galloway Community Enterprises works with the people of New Galloway to revitalise and sustain the economic and social well-being of our community. Currently this involves operating a community shop, running self catering accommodations and employing a community engagement worker.
Inspired Community Enterprise Trust (ICET) was set up in 2011 with the purpose of creating positive employability and training opportunities and wider citizenship opportunities for young adults with additional support needs. The organisation is a social enterprise – these are businesses which trade to tackle social issues, improve communities, people?s life chances or the environment…. Read more »
Welcome to the Social Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway network. As we move towards a wellbeing economy and climate transition, Social Enterprise will show itself to be a vital part of how our region works for our communities. We hope this network is going help make this happen. There is much to do – we need… Read more »
A new Dumfries and Galloway Social Enterprise Grant Programme is helping applicants to realise their market potential. A total of £50,000 was available in the programme for projects with applications open to a maximum of £5,000. Applications were accepted from: Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisations; Companies Limited by Guarantee; Community Interest Companies; Cooperatives; and Community Benefit… Read more »
Social Enterprises are businesses with a social purpose at their heart. In Dumfries and Galloway, there are about 200 businesses operating as social enterprises. In Scotland alone, social enterprises support more than 88,000 jobs. In Dumfries and Galloway, we have our Social Enterprise Network, which is Dumfries and Galloway Social Enterprise (SEDG). The vision of… Read more »
Starting your journey Welcome to the Social Enterprise section of the website. In this section, we hope you will be inspired to think about creating a social enterprise or just discover more about the estimated 200 social enterprises operating across Dumfries and Galloway. We will introduce you to the Social Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway network,… Read more »
Public sector partners across Dumfries and Galloway have made a commitment to move towards fully embedding Fair Funding principles for the region’s voluntary sector over the next three years. The move will ultimately give local charities, community groups and social enterprises greater funding security. The Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Board backed a new partner strategy… Read more »
Communities across Dumfries and Galloway are being urged to seize a major funding opportunity before the latest round of the Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Fund closes on Monday 1 June. A total of £524,891 is available through the Scottish Government programme, supporting projects that will make a real difference to people and places across… Read more »
The Chief Executive of Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG), Alan Webb, will step down from his role later this summer after two years of leadership marked by significant organisational development, partnership building and collaboration across the region and at a national level. During his time with the organisation, TSDG has strengthened its role as… Read more »
Sleeping Giants Community Development CIC is a community-focused capacity building social enterprise based in Dumfries and Galloway. We provide a range of services and support that strengthen the skills, abilities and confidence of people, community groups and organisations to take effective action and leading roles in the development of their communities. We have a fantastic group of Board members… Read more »
The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership was established as a SCIO in 2013 and our board of trustees were instrumental in building an officer team and Strategic and Operation Plans that would deliver sustainable development projects across SW Scotland’s UNESCO Biosphere region. No mean feat – this covers 9,720km² of land and sea, includes… Read more »
Dean Foster shares why he chose to dedicate his time to volunteering: I moved into the area not far from Penpont recently after retiring and wanted to see what volunteering opportunities there were locally. I met with key representatives of the KPT DT and couldn’t quite believe the extent of some of the Trust’s achievements; the Active Travel Path, Community Hydro, Community Cafe and Community Gardens. All very impressive to me…. Read more »
An innovative new digital platform designed to transform collaboration across the third sector in Dumfries and Galloway is set to be developed through a strategic partnership between South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG). The initiative forms part of DGCollective, the sector-owned approach to collaboration for better outcomes across the… Read more »
The Organisation Building Futures Galloway is a social enterprise based in the rural South Machars of Galloway, an area marked by systemic youth unemployment and limited access to cultural opportunities. It provides full-time, sustainable employment to young people who are distant from the labour market by offering in-work training in heritage construction skills, such as… Read more »
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I moved into the area not far from Penpont recently after retiring and wanted to see what volunteering opportunities there were locally. I met with key representatives of the KPT DT and couldn’t quite believe the extent of some of the Trust’s achievements; the Active Travel Path, Community Hydro, Community Cafe and Community Gardens. All very impressive to me. I was then told about… Read more »
The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership was established as a SCIO in 2013 and our board of trustees were instrumental in building an officer team and Strategic and Operation Plans that would deliver sustainable development projects across SW Scotland’s UNESCO Biosphere region. No mean feat – this covers 9,720km² of land and sea, includes… Read more »
Sleeping Giants Community Development CIC is a community-focused capacity building social enterprise based in Dumfries and Galloway. We provide a range of services and support that strengthen the skills, abilities and confidence of people, community groups and organisations to take effective action and leading roles in the development of their communities. We have a fantastic group of Board members… Read more »
The transformation of a historic harbour has been backed by a seven-figure investment by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE). SOSE’s £1.2million grant is part of an overall £15.65m redevelopment of Annan Harbour, which will aim to reinvigorate the area for the benefit of local people, and bring thousands more visitors to the Dumfriesshire town. The… Read more »
Annan The History Town Group – Jubilee Gardens – Accessibility & Inclusion Upgrade – £24,729 Transforms the Everholm site into an accessible, inclusive space with raised beds, benches, paths and heritage signage, supported by volunteers and youth groups. Birchvale Players – Solar Acts: Energising Community Theatre – £26,331.78 Installing a solar photovoltaic system and battery… Read more »
We are looking for an additional Director to join our wee board! Lochhill is a community farm near Crossmichael. We aim to support diverse and resilient rural livelihoods, increase ecological diversity, and deliver education and knowledge sharing programmes. We are seeking a Director with business and enterprise experience who is willing to join us to… Read more »
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG) welcomed organisations, community groups, and individuals this week to a special event — offering a unique opportunity to discover the wide range of free support and services available to the region’s third sector. The first of a series of events, Meet Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway began with a… Read more »
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG) has today launched an innovative new online platform aimed at helping third sector organisations across the region identify and access vital funding opportunities. The TSDG Funding Finder, available now at https://funding.idoxopen4community.co.uk/tsdgfundingfinder, is a powerful, free-to-use tool tailored specifically to meet the needs of charities, voluntary organisations, community groups, and… Read more »
The Old Bank Cafe is a Social Enterprise Project set up to support the work of Kate’s Kitchen. We aim to offer home-made locally sourced produce at affordable prices for all. As well as our Paying customers, we offer Pay It Forward and Pay What You Can options, as well as our free daily special.
The funding finder tool has been launched and can be found here – https://funding.idoxopen4community.co.uk/tsdgfundingfinder A major boost in the search for funding is on its way for the third sector in Dumfries and Galloway. Starting next month, Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway is launching an exciting new tool designed to supercharge your search for funding:… Read more »
Please take a few seconds to complete this survey (more details below): Naming our sector Our sector is featuring significantly in a recent range of national policy announcement, and in our collective leadership discussions with colleagues in local public sector bodies. As our Chief Executive is working in increasing awareness of our sectors role and potential,… Read more »
Network with colleagues Our themed forums are open to all third sector organisations across Dumfries and Galloway, including charities, community groups and social enterprises. You can join one or all of them. Each forum offers the chance to connect and collaborate, providing insight and learning and the chance to engage on key issues that matter… Read more »
Community transport and its importance to the south of Scotland has been highlighted to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport on a visit to Dumfries and Galloway this week. Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG) hosted Fiona Hyslop for a focussed discussion on the topic and its significant potential across the area. Joining them were colleagues… Read more »
Galloway Action Team (GAT) has been presented with the highest award a local voluntary organisation can achieve – The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. Regarded as the MBE of the voluntary sector, the highly coveted award recognises the outstanding work carried out by the Stranraer-based volunteers throughout the community. Presenting the award, the Lord-Lieutenant for… Read more »
Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG) is continuing to make the case for a third sector exemption to planned increases in employer’s National Insurance contributions (eNICs), in the face of the UK Government repeating a rejection of such a move. Alan Webb, TSDG’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), joined organisations such as SCVO and NCVO later… Read more »
Thirty-four projects across Dumfries and Galloway are sharing £407,015 of funding to help support communities and tackle the cost of living. Round three of the Community Led Local Development Fund saw a total of 103 applications asking for just under £2.2million. A Local Action Group (LAG) made up of representatives from the third, public, and… Read more »