KPT Development Trust

29/10/2026

Welcome to the latest KPT Development Trust Bulletin!

We are delighted to share our latest news, project updates, and exciting upcoming community events across Keir, Penpont, and Tynron.
Here are the highlights from this edition:
• AGM Celebration Success: A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last night at Keir Village Hall! It was a fantastic evening reflecting on a busy, impactful year and welcoming our newly voted board members.
• KPT Craft Circle & Poppy Tribute: Our talented crafters have been hard at work! The completed poppy drape tribute to Doreen Johnston is now beautifully installed at the Garden of Remembrance in Dumfries.
• All Hands on Deck! The pressure is now on for our wee group to crack on and finish our very own drape in time for Remembrance Sunday. Join us for a Poppy Assembly Session this Sunday, November 1st, from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the Three Villages Cafe on Main Street, Penpont. Just come along, enjoy a cuppa, and help us sew!
• Upcoming "Christmas Magic": Looking ahead, the circle is aiming for its biggest effort yet—creating a spectacular themed tree for the prestigious Dumfries and District Flower Show. Come along to our free weekly sessions to help create white, silver, and sparkle decorations.
• Shaping National Strategies: Our project sessions have been featured as a vital case study for Unbound Scotland, showcasing how rural communities in Mid Nithsdale are actively leading on vital frameworks for climate resilience, health, and local food security.
• Spooky Season & Community Gathering: Get ready for Halloween! While the Friday Night Tea Time Club on October 30th is cancelled, we can't wait to see you all on Saturday, October 31st (doors open at 6:00 PM) for Fright Night—a spooky community gathering and buffet at The Three Villages Cafe! Don't forget the Penpont Halloween Stone Hunt and Movie Night are also happening this weekend.
• Health & Wellbeing Activities: Stay active and connected with our regular weekly sessions, including Wellbeing Wednesdays (Stroll in the Park and £5 Lunch Special), Free E-bike Hires, the Gentle Garden Group, and our popular Shiatsu sessions.

Want to apply for the KPT Community Benefit Fund? Applications are open now!
Check out the full newsletter details below for dates, times, and contact information. Let's keep working hand-in-hand to keep our villages thriving!



Three Villages Cafe Caring for our Community KPT Development Trust KPT Community Garden Group Penpont Post

29/10/2026

A huge thank you to Caring for our Community and The People's Project, Dumfries for hosting such a lovely Thank You celebration yesterday at Morrisons!

Our KPT Development Trust Craft Circle were absolutely delighted to join in. It was wonderful to meet so many talented crafters from other community groups across the region. Everyone has worked so collaboratively and creatively to ensure the vision of a long-lasting tribute to our fallen has been upheld and beautifully added to in memory of Doreen Johnston. As a group, it’s always lovely to share the opportunity to get out now and again, enjoy a good giggle, and chat over a cuppa and a yummy biscuit or two!

We also owe a massive thank you to Cairn Valley Community Transport and to our wonderful driver, Sarah. She took our adventuring spirits and good humour completely in her stride, and we’re happy to announce she has now officially become an honorary member of our circle!

Our local rally is now on!
The pressure is officially on for our wee group to crack on and get our own drape finished. We are hosting an assembly session and need all hands on deck:
• Where: Three Villages Cafe, Main Street, Penpont
• When: Sunday 1st November between 2 and 4pm
• What to do: Just come along and help us sew!

Every single poppy sewn on helps us reach our deadline to have the drape installed in time for Remembrance Sunday. Please come along, join the fun, and help us get this tribute over the finish line! 🌺



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27/10/2026

KPT Development Trust were absolutely delighted to host this fantastic event with the KPT Community Garden Group at Bridgend Community Garden, and we are now thoroughly looking forward to welcoming the new Riverfly Monitoring group to Penpont!

As a community, we are really keen to get going next spring for the next riverfly season. If you missed the event but would love to get involved, please get in touch with the team via Facebook or at [email protected].

27/10/2026

Just a wee reminder that this is tonight for anyone who is able to make it along.

Just a quick reminder -TOMORROW NIGHT 6PM. Hope you see you there.

26/10/2026

USEFUL EMERGENCY NUMBERS to keep in a handy place

In an emergency always dial 999 or or 112 for life-threatening emergencies requiring police, ambulance, fire, or coastguard services when there is a risk to life or property.

Dumfries & Galloway Council Contact Centre - dial 030 33 33 3000
(this number is monitored 24hrs a day / 365 days a year. If calling after 5pm please press ONE for CARE CALL)

SEPA Floodline 24/7 updates – dial 0345 988 1188

Police non-emergency – dial 101

NHS 24 – dial 111 for urgent care advice and mental health support

Scottish Power – dial 105

Openreach (BT) – dial 0800 023 2023

Scottish Water - dial 0800 077 8778

National Gas Emergency Service hotline - dial 0800 111 999

AMEY Scotland - dial 0800 042 0188

Other useful information with over 1100 services are featured from more than 700 organisations and each entry includes, if available, the service and organisation names, a description of the service, opening hours, and contact details, including phone, email, and website.

DGLocator maps useful services across Dumfries and Galloway and is available as a mobile app and as a website.

25/10/2026

🌸 Exciting Update for our Rural Health & Wellbeing Group! 🌸

This week, we are shaking things up with a very special trip!
Instead of our usual Wednesday Craft Circle session at the Church Hall, we have been personally invited by Myra Smith (Community Champion at Morrisons Dumfries) and to celebrate our collective creativity. We will be heading over to celebrate everyone's incredible contribution to finishing this year's beautiful Poppy Drape! We also plan on visiting the drape at the Garden of Remembrance.
Transport Details:
We are being picked up by Cairn Valley Community Transport. Collection will be right outside The Gladstone Hall, Princess Street, Penpont at approximately 12:20 PM. There are a couple of pickups in Thornhill.
Seats are available on the minibus! If you have been involved in supporting this wonderful project and would like to join us for this celebration, please get in touch with Michelle Johnston as soon as possible to book your spot.

Don't forget—KPT Development Trust AGM!
A quick reminder that the KPTDT Annual General Meeting (AGM) is happening this coming Wednesday evening (28th October) at 7:00 PM at the Keir Village Hall.

Everyone is welcome to attend, hear updates from our community trading companies (Three Villages Café and KPT CEEL), and find out more about the KPT Community Benefit Fund. Copies of the agenda and previous minutes will be available on the evening.

We hope to see some of you at both events!

Tynron Community

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22/10/2026

The latest KPT Development Trust Bulletin is out! Here is a quick look at what’s happening in our community this week:
• Annual General Meeting (AGM): Join us on Wednesday, 28th October at 7pm in Keir Village Hall for updates on the Trust and our local trading companies.
• Celebrating Caroline Buck: Huge congratulations to our very own trustee for being shortlisted for the Community Champion award at the 2026 !
• Craft Circle Masterpiece: The community poppy drape is now beautifully displayed at the Garden of Remembrance. Check out the bulletin for details on their upcoming Christmas Tree Festival projects for Dumfries and District Flower Show.
•Bridgend Community Garden: Swing by the garden this Saturday from 10:30am for a "wee garden workout" or to pick up some free garlic and onions currently up for grabs.
• Three Villages Cafe Winter Warmers: Wednesday Winter Warmers (£5 meals) are in full swing, and Friday Night Tea Time returns on 30th October. Read the bulletin for the full menu and booking info!
• Dates for Your Diary: Look inside for details on this weekend's Walk a Mile for Polio (24th Oct), the OST Hallowe'en Fun Day (31st Oct), local job openings, and how you can apply to become a Trust Director.
👉 Pick up your physical copy or read the full Bulletin attached below for times, menus, and contact information!



fans KPT Development Trust Three Villages Cafe KPT Community Garden Group KPT Development Trust Active Communities Dumfries and Galloway

22/10/2026

🍕 Where it’s all happening today! 🍕

It is officially Thursday Tea Time Pizza Night at the Three Villages Cafe, and the energy is buzzing! But pizza isn't the only thing on the menu tonight...
We are hosting an open invitation for everyone in the community to come along and connect with the KPT Development Trust.

Here is what is happening:
• 🗺️ Shape Our Future: Come and find out about the upcoming priority projects for our community.
• 💼 Join the Board: Discover how you can become a Trustee Director! There are so many exciting opportunities and fresh motivations to join the board as we transition toward achieving incredible new goals for our community.
• 🧵 KPT Craft Circle: If you fancy a wee moment to participate, pop by the assembly session for our Community Poppy Drape. Feel free to sew on a poppy or two—many hands make light work!
Whether you are here for the delicious pizza, curious about the future of KPT, or want to add a stitch to our community drape, we would love to see you.
Come on down and be a part of it! 👇



KPT Community Garden Group KPT Development Trust Three Villages Cafe fans

20/10/2026

It is absolutely fantastic to see Dumfries and Galloway being recognised for the absolute gem it is! 💎✨
Huge news today—our beautiful region has been named one of National Geographic’s "Best of the World" destinations for 2027! 🌍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
We’ve always known how special our dramatic coastlines, wild landscapes, and dark skies are, and it’s brilliant to see the rest of the world catching on via Scotland Starts Here. So well deserved! 🙌

19/10/2026

✨ Looking for ways to stay active, meet neighbours, or learn a new
skill? ✨

*edit with poster this time!

The KPT Development Trust is here to help you boost your health and well-being right in the heart of our beautiful community! We offer a variety of local, low-cost, and free activities designed to bring people together.

Here is what's happening this week:

🚶‍♂️ Stroll in the Park – Wednesdays at 11am (Meet at KPT Office, Penpont)
🎨 Craft Circle – Wednesdays from 1pm to 3pm (Church Hall, Penpont)
🌱 Gentle Garden Group – Fridays from 11am to 1pm (Bridgend Community Garden)
🍲 Three Villages Café Specials – Enjoy a warm, homemade £5 Wednesday Winter Warmer or a £2.50 Thursday Night Tea!
Everything we do is open to everyone, and most activities are completely free or heavily subsidised. If you have barriers getting to us, reach out—we want to support you!

👉 Learn more and get involved: Visit www.kptdevelopmenttrust.org or pop by the Three Villages Cafe in Penpont to say hello.
📲 Questions? Contact our Development Officer, Michelle Johnston, at 01848 331 435 or email [email protected]

Tynron Community
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