Lorraine is new face of Dumfries town centre

Former community safety officer Lorraine Wilson is taking up an initial six-month post, thanks to an idea pitched by Mark Jardine of The People’s Project.
Mr Jardine said: “I had been very impressed by the condition of town centres in a number of countries I’d visited, and a common factor seemed to be that there were identifiable officers who acted as the municipal presence on the streets.”
He added: “I thought it an ideal opportunity for the Peoples’ Project to work hand in hand with the council on resourcing and managing such a post.”
The idea was put to the council, who have agreed to match a sum of about £6000 to provide an initial six months of funding.
Communities committee chairman Councillor Tom McAughtrie said: “The ethos behind the way our staff will deliver services for the future is very much about engagement with local community groups.
“We were very keen to take this opportunity to put more concentration on having a permanent officer presence in the town centre, and officers have worked with Mark to develop the role for the town centre ambassador.”
The ambassador post will provide an information and welcome service to visitors, supervise street cleaning and grounds maintenance and tackle environmental issues.
Taking up the post, Lorraine said: “It’s in all our interests to ensure that the centre of Dumfries presents a welcoming face to everyone.
“My role is to provide oversight of the council’s maintenance of our open space, and to make sure that we remove litter and any other material which detracts from its appearance as quickly as possible.
“I’m also going to provide a visible presence on-street for visitors to seek information and to provide advice to businesses in the town.”
Lorraine added: “I’ll be based in the Midsteeple but the intention is that I’ll generally be more often seen out and about so that I’m keeping tabs on things as they happen, and making sure that I listen to peoples’ views all over the town centre.”