Dumfries & Galloway Mental Health Association

19/01/2026

The last few months of 2025 were eventful for our team and service users at Craigshields. We recount the activities enjoyed by our people throughout October to December:

One of our longstanding service users, John celebrated his 70th birthday in October with staff hosting a party for him at Craigshields. John tells us he thoroughly enjoyed his day.

We celebrated World Mental Health Day on Friday 10th October by coming together for a buffet and quiz. Service users had staff up singing and dancing and a great time was had by all. Barrie came first place in the quiz, with Ian coming a close second.

Liam celebrated his birthday in Carlisle with Sam, Nicola and Joanna. He chose to have lunch at the Griffin followed by bowling and shopping. Liam and Sam decided to team up against staff, and of course they beat them.

Colin enjoyed a visit to Lothlorien with Lisa and took part in gardening activities and some light exercises. They were lucky enough to visit over lunchtime and got to sample some delicious homemade soup during their visit.

Mark and Linda supported Liam and Ian to Carlisle to make a start to their Christmas Shopping in November. They enjoyed lunch at Bob and Berts and made a few festive purchases.

We spent a rainy afternoon with a quiz just for fun. ‘How well do you know the staff?’ questions were given out. Nicola was happy to hear she was voted most likely to win the lottery, and Sam voted most likely to be mistaken for Brad Pitt.

Ian enjoyed a Scottish Pink Floyd Tribute Night at the Loreburn Hall in December. Ian is a huge fan of Pink Floyd so was happy to have got tickets to this event. He is pictured looking very smart in his shirt and tie.

Julie, our cleaner was looking very festive on Christmas Jumper Day. She always brightens up the room and service users love seeing her busy around the house. She is pictured here with Nicola, Deputy Team Leader.

John S, John M, Liam, Colin and Artur enjoyed a Christmas Meal at the Granary mid-December. Staff members Lisa, Sam and Kairon accompanied them for a 3-course meal. All attending had a lovely afternoon and felt well and truly in the festive spirit.

Some service users chose to spend time with their families for the festivities. Service users at home had opted for a Christmas meal and enjoyed a traditional Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, sitting down with staff to enjoy.

Looking forward to a busy 2026!

15/01/2026

15/01/2026

Looking back to the end of 2025, our West Outreach service were busy with event planning, fundraising and socialising.

October 10th was World Mental Health Awareness Day, our social group gathered in the office for a quiz. We had a good laugh at our quiz reader, Annmarie, with her reading and mixing up the words!
That evening we had a cinema night with five of our female service users and two staff members to see Downtown Abby, this was thoroughly enjoyed.

Over the next two months our team worked hard to collect donations for our annual bingo night. We got some very good prizes from our service users, staff, friends, family and some very generous local businesses. Also, Teri, one of our support staff donated a night at the View Lodge in Portpatrick for one very lucky winner in the raffle.
On the 28th November we held our Bingo Night at the Stranraer Fitba Bar. The night had a great turn out, there were lots of lucky winners of prizes and we raised a fantastic £1,345.00. One of our team members, Yvonne, won the night stay at View Lodge. We are so thankful to everyone who donated and took part in helping organise. Annmarie, Emma and Karen were pleased with the success and were glad to rest and recover after it was all over. A great night enjoyed be all.

It was then onto the annual Xmas Party planning. In total 53 staff and service users came together again at Stranraer Fitba Bar for food, music and dancing. A 3 course lunch was delivered by Colin Herron, which went down a treat. Music provided by Lianne Brown and there was plenty of dancing. We even got a wee song sung by Colin on the mic, singing ‘One Man Band’, who knew he was such a good Leo Sayer impressionist 😆

Safe to say we all looked forward to some down time at Christmas and New Year after a busy few months.

10/01/2026

Please support our Charity by donating any unwanted preloved items and gifts which generate vital funds for our cause... Providing care and support for people in the region who are living with mental health conditions, enabling them to lead a happy, purposeful and fulfilling life as part of their local communities. Recycling promotes sustainability by reusing goods, reducing landfill and offering affordable items and volunteering opportunities to the local community. Thank you...

05/01/2026

📣 New Job Opportunity📣

Registered Manager - West

(Covering Stranraer, Newton Stewart and surrounding areas)

Full Time: 35 hours per week

Salary: £32,582.55

Onsite Location: Stranraer

Closing Date: 14th January 2026

This is a position of significant responsibility, leadership, and confidentiality. The Registered Manager will provide effective operational and strategic management across DGMHA West, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care that promotes positive outcomes for the people we support.

The post holder will oversee day-to-day service operations, maintain compliance with legislative and regulatory standards, and foster a positive, supportive working environment. The Registered Manager will also manage, supervise, and develop the Deputy Managers located across the Stranraer and Newton Stewart services, ensuring consistent practice and high standards of care delivery.

For more information, job description and how to apply visit: https://dgmha.org/vacancies/registered-manager

30/12/2025

📣 New Job Opportunity📣

Deputy Manager (Peripatetic)
Full Time (35 hours)
£28,760.55 per year

We are recruiting a dedicated and confident Deputy Manager (Peripatetic) to support our services across DGMHA East (Dumfries Outreach, Craigshields, Castle Douglas).

You will work closely with the Registered Manager to ensure the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care, operational compliance, and positive outcomes for the people we support. In the Registered Manager’s absence, you will take on shared managerial responsibility, providing continuity of leadership and safe, effective service delivery.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to make a lasting difference within our community services, supporting growth and improvement while progressing your leadership career. You will work within a values-driven organisation that prioritises high-quality care and staff development.

For more information or to apply follow the Indeed link:

Dumfries and Galloway Mental Health Association

27/12/2025

Clear the decks of any 'unsed', 'unwanted' preloved items and gifts, simply call 07761 284001 & Vinny will conveniently collect them from your home. Recycling and donating helps support the Charity, provides affordable purchases for the community & reduces landfill maintaining our environment. Thankyou.

19/12/2025

A festive trip to Edinburgh for Liam and Ian from Craigshields 🎡

Here's what Deputy Team Leader, Nicola, had to say:

"Liam and Ian both had a fantastic time at the Christmas Markets during our overnight stay in Edinburgh last night. They were an absolute pleasure to support, and myself and John thoroughly enjoyed their company" 🎄⭐️

09/12/2025

Join Our Board

Dumfries and Galloway Mental Health Association is a long-established local mental health charity dedicated to improving the lives of people across our region. We provide person-centred care and support for individuals whose lives are affected by mental health.

As a Board Member, you won’t be involved in day-to-day operations, but the decisions you contribute to will directly influence the support we provide and the difference we make locally. A meaningful way to give back to your community, shape our future direction, and ensure we continue to deliver high-quality, compassionate services.

Our Board focuses on the bigger picture: strong governance, strategic leadership, ensuring the organisation is safe, transparent, efficient and effective, and that we remain true to our purpose, values and legal obligations.

We welcome expressions of interest from people of all backgrounds who share our ethos and vision. If your personal or professional experience could strengthen our Board, we’d be delighted to hear from you. In return, we provide a thorough induction, access to expert training, and support from a welcoming and experienced team.

Experience in any of the following areas would be an advantage: mental health, safeguarding, lived experience, social care, health, finance, business, HR, law, quality assurance, compliance, health and safety, technology, fundraising or marketing.

Board Members are asked to attend four meetings per year—hybrid attendance is available—along with our Annual General Meeting. This is a voluntary, unpaid role, with expenses reimbursed.

Our Chief Executive Officer would welcome an informal conversation with anyone interested. Please contact us at resourcing@dgmha.org

https://dgmha.org/vacancies/board-director

10/11/2025

Farewell and Happy Retirement!

We would like to personally congratulate Janice on her retirement after 10 years service. We have all enjoyed working with Janice during her time here, and we considered her not only to be a valuable asset to our company, but she has been a fantastic support to our service users throughout her time with DGMHA.

Janice you will be missed by all of us, but you certainly deserve your retirement. Your hard work, long service and dedication have greatly benefited our services users, thank you! 💙

07/11/2025

Job Opportunity: Finance Officer

Location: Dumfries (on-site)

Hours: Up to 35 hours per week (part-time considered)

Salary: £35,000 – £42,000 per annum (FTE, dependent on experience)

We are looking for a Finance Officer who combines accuracy and attention to detail with the ambition to develop into a senior finance leader. You will take responsibility for managing the day-to-day finance operations and for producing accurate, timely financial information, supported by in-house and external training as required.

You will report directly to the CEO and play an active role in the management of Board meetings and wider corporate governance. Over time, you will progress to full responsibility for the finance function, contributing directly to the strategic and operational leadership of the charity.

To succeed, you will bring integrity, discretion, and professionalism, together with strong communication skills and a commitment to our values of accountability, openness, and care in serving our community.

Please follow link to full job advert, role description and application form - https://dgmha.org/vacancies/finance-officer

To apply, please send your CV, covering letter outlining your suitability for the role and fully completed application form to resourcing@dgmha.org by Friday 21st November 2025. Applications will be reviewed on receipt, and interviews may be scheduled before the closing date.

18/10/2025

With the nights drawing in and the clocks going back our revised opening hours are as follows...