Celebration of town’s migrants was a success

Participatory, and interactive, the wall was part of Dumfries’ One DayWithout Us, and stood in The Stove on the High Street, marking and celebrating the contributions that migrants make to the lives of Dumfries people.
Exhibited were real stories from local people, with more than 115 memories posted on the wall using brightly coloured notes with people also able to add a coloured dot on a map of the world, to show where they had come from.
ChrisGilligan, of OpenBorders Scotland, one of the event’s organisers, said: “Monday’s One Day Without Us event in Dumfries was a phenomenal success exceeding all our expectations.
“We had over 200 people visiting during the day — with over 100 joining us for a linking of arms and photo shoot at one o’clock, when the rain stopped and the sun shone.”
Various dishes from African, American, Asian and European cuisine were brought by many of the people attending, which were enjoyed by visitors, with live music and song also enjoyed both inside and out of The Stove.
Michael Moore, from Blueprint 100, another of the event’s organisers said: “To me, One Day Without Us was all about displaying our community’s strength through diversity, with people from different nations around the world living harmoniously together.”
Chris added: “People from Dumfries and Galloway should be proud that we stood up in the first-ever national action in support of immigration and immigrants.
“Through our action, we showed that we can work together to help make the world a better place for everyone, and indeed, that a better world is possible.”