We are pleased to announce that Moniaive Initiative has been granted £19,950 from the Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund, towards the costs of our new 2 year project: Moniaive Growing Together, which commences in April. We are very excited to be working on this new project, and look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming weeks.

Round five in Dumfries and Galloway

A recent survey of rural communities in Nithsdale shows a bus network that no longer matches communities needs. Nearly 500 residents consistently highlighted the sharp decline in evening and weekend provision – including the complete loss of Sunday services – which has left many households cut off from social interaction, family support and essential travel after 5.30pm. Individuals working shifts reported being unable to rely on public transport for employment, and many expressed concern that young people have lost access to social, leisure and work opportunities due to the restricted timetable.

The N76 Group have produced a report with a clear message: current services are not fit for purpose and calls for practical, community‑backed actions to avoid  growing isolation, reduced opportunity and long-term social and economic harm rural communities.

Actions include reinstating evening and Sunday buses; restoring direct links or reliable connections to Cumnock and Ayr; re-establishing a morning route to Edinburgh; increasing bus capacity at school times; improving timetable accuracy; and strengthening integration with rail services.

A major theme was the loss of direct or guaranteed connections to Cumnock and Ayr, for access to supermarkets, dental and optician appointments, and onward travel.  Respondents described this change as “devastating”, noting that trips that were once straightforward now require lengthy detours, costly taxis, or are simply no longer possible.

The removal of the morning bus connection to Edinburgh, previously available through the 101/102 service, was also widely criticised. Several residents reported that journeys which once took around two hours now take four to five, with multiple changes and limited accessibility.

The impacts fall particularly heavily on residents without cars – including older adults, disabled people, young people, and low‑income households. Respondents feel “abandoned” and “totally isolated”, with some unable to reach hospital appointments or maintain work and social commitments. One parent reported ‘’my  daughter’s journey to college now takes almost two hours each way because  connections don’t work. 

Right along the A76 corridor, concerns were raised about timetable accuracy, unreliable services, missing or mismatched connections, and frequent overcrowding at school peak times. Many describe the system as  “broken” making daily journeys  difficult and undermining confidence in public transport.

You can read a Summary of the Survey Results here:

For further information on the Survey, contact: Mike Steele: mike.steelebsas@yahoo.co.uk 07739183250

To comment on bus issues in Glencairn, please email: moniaiveinitiative@gmail.com

The N76 Group, represents community organisations located along the A76 corridor from Glencairn and Closeburn through to Kirkconnel and New Cumnock. Their report (available at www.moniaiveinitiative.org.uk ) conducted 14 January to 20 February 2026 calls for urgent action and  public involvement in future decisions. The survey is one of the most comprehensive community‑led transport consultations carried out in the region.

There’s something special about the smell of fresh bread filling a kitchen — and we’re bringing that magic to our next community workshop!

Join us for a hands‑on bread‑making session where you’ll learn simple techniques, kneading confidence, and a recipe you can easily recreate at home.

Join us on Saturday as we celebrate the Repair Cafe’s Third Birthday!

If you want to know a bit more about what we do there, take a look at our Year 3 Report, here:

On a wet and windy 10th of February, a bunch of hardy volunteers came together in the Moniaive Community Garden to construct their new Composter. After months of planning and preparation, we were finally ready to put together the Jora 400 Composter gifted to us through the Propagate and DG Community Food Network pilot community composting project (funded by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway). Under the watchful eye of Senga (DG Climate Hub), we were the first of the three communities taking part to construct our new composter.

We’re now one big step closer to launching the Moniaive Community Composting Group.

If you’d like to get involved and haven’t signed up yet, just drop Katie a message — we’d love to have you on board!

katie.moniaiveinitiative@gmail.com

With thanks to DG Community Food Network, DG Climate Hub and Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway for helping to make this happen.

Moniaive Initiative are working with other Development Trusts in the DG3 area to hold a survey of bus users, aimed at gathering information that we can then take forward with the Council and bus companies, to advocate for improvements to bus services.

You can help us by completing the survey – just four simple questions to tell us what you use, and how you would like it to look. You can scan the QR codes at the bus stops with your smartphone, or you can access the survey here:

https://forms.office.com/r/r1UEkh966Z

For those unable to complete the survey online, we are providing paper copies in Watsons and The Hive. These will need to be returned to The Hive by the survey close date of 20 February.

Following the recent postponement of our AGM due to illness, we are now pleased to give you the new date, and invite you to attend:

As always, we aim to keep it short and sweet, so there is plenty of time for discussion following the business of the evening. But we do have some work to do, and we need members to attend to allow us to make some minor amendments to our Constitution this year. The proposed amendments are as follows: Clause 11.1 (new addition), Clause 14 (removal), Clause 54.1 (new addition). You can see them in the full document here:

You can see the Agenda for the AGM here:

Members are strongly encouraged to come along on the evening to vote in our Board of Trustees and approve our proposed Constitution amendments.

Everyone else is warmly invited to just come along for a chat and find out what we do. Membership forms will be available on the night for anyone wishing to join!

The Glencairn Local Place Plan is being launched today, at the start of the statutory 28-day consultation period. It has been drafted by a Steering Group of local people, led by Glencairn Community Council and supported by Moniaive Initiative. It aims to recognise both the challenges to, and the aspirations of, our community. Once adopted, the document will sit formally within the Council’s planning system, and the contents will be recognised as a ‘material consideration’ which has to be taken into account when planning decisions are made.

You can read the document online (below) and will also be able to access paper copies at the Repair Cafe today (Saturday 1st November 2025, 10am-1pm, Glencairn Memorial Institute) and thereafter at The Hive and Watsons Grocery Store.

Two consultation events will follow shortly, where you will be able to discuss and comment on the contents of the plan.

We will also accept written comments and queries:

Paper comments can be submitted in a sealed envelope (marked “LPP”) to the Hive

Digital comments can be submitted to moniaiveinitiative@gmail.com

If you require a response to your comments / queries, please ensure you provide contact details.

Apologies, but we have to postpone the AGM planned for Wednesday 29th October due to illness.

We will announce a new date as soon as possible.

In the meantime, those of you who were looking forward to getting your first look at the Local Place Plan document at our AGM will still be able to see it at the Repair Cafe (10am-1pm in the Glencairn Memorial Institute) on Saturday 1st November, where Deborah will be happy to show you the document and answer any questions. Further LPP consultation events will be announce shortly.

Our AGM is coming up, and this is a great time to find out what we have been doing, and what we would like to do next. Your voice counts, so come along and tell us what is important to you. Don’t forget, Members vote to elect our Trustees, so why not come along and show your support for our work?