Young people to get say on harbour future

Three major cash awards to Annan Harbour Action Group will be used in part to recruit a development officer, who will work with younger people to regenerate the run-down area of town.
Hailing a sum of £43,900 from the European Union initiative LEADER, which joins £50,000 from The Holywood Trust and £11,100 from Annandale and Eskdale Area Committee, action group chairman Richard Brodie said: “It’s going to be a giant leap forward for the harbour.
“We’ve had lots of very enthusiastic volunteers, and we’re all doing our best, but this will give us a full-time person to take forward our ambitions.”
With recruitment for the role beginning this week, Councillor Brodie said: “The development officer will have a budget to work with.
“They’ll have money for events – to develop the harbour as an events space.
“And they’ll have money to build a second coastal rowing skiff, and money for promoting the harbour and Annan.”
Councillor Brodie says the development officer will also be responsible for developing further funding opportunities for the ongoing harbour redevelopment.
However, a key focus will be working with young people, picking up after four youngsters were trained to skipper power boats.
Explaining the reason for lending support, Helen Turner from The Holywood Trust said: “It was the potential development of activities for young people, and also young people being involved in that development.”
LEADER had previously been involved in dredging silt from the harbour, and Derek Hextall from the organisation said: “One of the key themes for LEADER is the economy, and part of that is finding opportunities and purpose for young people.”
Councillor Brodie says one of the next objectives for the harbour is to sort out its governance, describing the harbour trust as not ‘really being suitable for the 21st century’.
He said: “We want proper rules and organisation of the harbour so that we can develop it further.”