Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere to host a five-day pop-up event in Maybole
The team from the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere will be in Maybole this month, with communities, businesses, and anyone curious to find out more about southwest Scotland's UNESCO status invited to drop into a five-day pop-up event.
Biosphere officers will be at the 44 High Street venue every day 10am - 4pm between Monday 13th - Friday 17th November, including community and business development specialists, and officers working on nature restoration and regenerative farming. On Tuesday 14th November there will be a focus on 'Ayrshire Talks Tourism' with the Biosphere's partners VisitScotland, with free 30-minute business surgeries are available to pre-book. This will be followed by a Business Networking Evening at the same location from 6:30 - 8:30pm, an opportunity for local business owners to meet and connect.
The Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022 year, with official confirmation of an expanded boundary earlier this year. The 9,720kmĀ² region now includes Alloway - birthplace of Robert Burns - and 12 nautical miles of the marine environment, up to and including Ailsa Craig, with approximately 86% of South Ayrshire within the UNESCO-designated area. The Biosphere was a winner at the Ayrshire Business Awards in October and in a landmark accolade was recently announced as having made National Geographic's prestigious 'Cool List for 2024', a name-check of the most exciting, inspiring, and sustainable travel destinations around the world.
Looking ahead to the Maybole event, Esther Tacke, one of the Biosphere's Business Engagement officers, said, "We're delighted to be spending even more time in beautiful South Ayrshire in one of the Biosphere's most significant public engagement events of 2023. Everyone is warmly invited to come along and say hi, find out about what a UNESCO Biosphere is and does, and the wide range of support we're able to offer communities, business owners, young people, farmers and land managers. This is all about tapping into the incredible potential of this region - sharing knowledge and taking positive steps forward together."
Councillor Alec Clark, Cabinet Member for Tourism, Culture and Rural Affairs who represents South Ayrshire Council on the UNESCO Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Board said: "This is a great opportunity for people to learn more about the Biosphere and its unique status. The sessions will allow businesses to find out about the Biosphere Certification Mark and becoming more sustainable. Working with nature is very important within the Biosphere, so I would encourage landowners and farmers to also take the opportunity to find out more about the range of support available to them. The Biosphere can help us make the most of our unique heritage and culture so why not pop along to find out more."
The Biosphere's Maybole pop-up takes place at 44 High Street with no requirement to book in advance. Business Surgery slots on Tuesday 14th November can be reserved by emailing info@gsabiosphere.org.uk. More information about the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere is available at www.gsabiosphere.org.uk.