Galashiels Town Team Workshop

"there is already lots of great stuff happening here - people just often don't know about it"

Galashiels residents acknowledge that lots of good things have been happening in Galashiels and there are some very active groups. A lot of recent activity has been centred around the town centre, and their is need for a wider remit to capture all of the town so that the Place Plan represents everybody.

People don't always know what is going on, and their is a need to bring people together to look at a common purpose, and bring people on that journey.

It is often the same people taking on everything, so more needs to be done to encourage more people from more places in the town to get involved.

Mapping organisations seems like a good way to start, and an understanding of the skills and abilities we have in the population. It could be an existing group driving this, but a new group without a prior agenda that comes together to take this forward, might be best.

"a special purpose group - open to anyone"

You don't need to be part of a formal group to get involved, the Town Team should encourage all voices, and bring in young people.

It is not starting from scratch, there is good work already happening and we can build on previous engagement to help get started.

But, it isn't just about existing projects and plans - it needs to be about wider ambitions for the town and look at the values and ethos of the group.

"We need to be inclusive, and determine who exactly we are improving Gala for!"

Further information on  Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal