AROUND 40 residents participated at an event regarding the future of Dalmellington.

The second of two workshop sessions was held in the scout hall as delegates thrashed out proposals for the creation of a new Action Plan for the area.

Reclaiming Our Coalfield Communities, set up jointly by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) and the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) aims to boost local democracy through producing the plan.

A lot of discussion at the workshop focused on ways and means of developing Dalmellington as a tourist destination.

Proposals from the session will now be brought together with projects being pursued by local organisations, and local residents will have the chance to have their say at a Voting Day in the Scout Hall on April 21.

CRT has put up a £20,000 participatory budget to help launch key projects and their community engagement officer in Dalmellington, Elaine Stewart, was pleased at the turnout.

She said: “It was really good to see most of the people from our first meeting last month, turn up again to work up the ideas it produced into potential projects.

“There was a lot of focus on tourism and the opportunities that exist to give Dalmellington a real shot in the arm, by establishing ourselves as a visitor destination.

“We already have a major attraction in the Dark Skies Observatory, only a few miles away in the Galloway Forrest, and the Doon Valley is full of places of interest.

“Boosting tourism could create uses for some of the derelict buildings in the centre of Dalmellington, and we considered a proposal to form a Development Trust to help achieve delivery of the Action Plan”.

Scottish Trustee of the CRT, Nicky Wilson, said the positive reaction Dalmellington has shown towards their joint initiative with the ERS was encouraging.

He added: “It gives us great confidence that we can all look forward to a dynamic and effective Action Plan emerging from this process.”

The Reclaiming Our Coalfields Communities programme, which is running in three locations, has the support of a £40,000 award from the Scottish Government’s Aspiring Communities Fund and the European Social Fund.