Encouraging and supporting community-led action and the sustainable regeneration of the Dunoon are at the heart of Ann Campbell’s work. As the partnership and development manager for Dunoon Community Development Trust, Ann is working hard to inspire its members to work together and share their valuable knowledge and skills, and support each other in their community initiatives.
What is your business?
I am the Partnership manager for Dunoon Community Development Trust. Through my work with the Trust, I support community-led action and cross-sector collaboration for the sustainable regeneration of Dunoon.
What are the biggest challenges you face at the moment?
There are a lot of really interesting and valuable community-led initiatives happening across Dunoon and across a wide range of sectors. Our biggest challenge is how to support all of that while encouraging more collaboration between these projects.
There are people who are doing incredible things here, and we’d like to encourage them to work together and in a way that also includes those who may otherwise struggle to get involved in community initiatives yet have lots to offer.
What is your ambition with the organisation?
In the short term, our ambition is to connect people in our community to the amazing volunteer and project opportunities that the DCDT has been developing. This includes introducing people to Barbara Henderson our new volunteering for wellbeing co-ordinator and making sure that people are aware of Sara Cairns who is helping introduce people to cycling and walking activities in Dunoon through the Dunoon cycling and walking Bothy.
Over the next few years we will be developing a Local Place Plan for Dunoon. Hannah and the team at the POP shop will be supporting community engagement activities around this, and we will be doing a host of events and activities across the Dunoon area to ensure that people can help shape a plan for Dunoon that considers the many challenges and opportunities that people see for the town.
Also, our longer-term ambition includes creating community-run activities that generate income which helps to sustain the activities of the Trust.
Tell us about the businesses you connect or work with locally.
We take a community wealth- building approach to our work at the Trust. This means that I engage with local businesses for design, printing, web support and venue hire, and I prioritise local benefits in any procurement that I’m undertaking. The Trust actively links with Dunoon & Cowal Co-works to build connections with freelance, self-employed and micro-enterprise workers. We connect with local venues and community groups for our community-run What's On Dunoon website. We connected with wider businesses to build the Covid Dunoon Open for Business Directory and continue to share information across this network.
What do you love about doing business in Dunoon?
Learning about the breadth and depth of businesses and skills that are present across our community is endlessly fascinating. This is a small town with a lot to offer. Helping to raise awareness and build connections that support business development is very satisfying.
What support or services have you received from the POP Shop, and how has this helped?
Dunoon Community Developent Trust has been very fortunate to use the POP Shop as our business address in establishing the Community Development Trust. We've Also used the facilities as a venue for meetings and training and have benefited from ongoing social enterprise advice and support. We’ve taken part in co-work meet-ups and built vital new connections to support our work.
Find out about Anne’s work:
Membership of the Trust is free and open to anyone who lives, works or studies in Cowal. Community groups, organisations and agencies can also become associate members of the Trust.