Our visit was split into two parts – first we had a short tour of the Midsteeple Quarter, a sister project of The Stove that seeks to reanimate the high street in Dumfries by offering studio and community space, local makers selling their wares, a risoprint studio and potentially even an artist flat for visiting artists. During and after lunch, we heard from Katharine Wheeler, Development Director and Lead on the What We Do Now Network about their work in their base and cafe space on the high street.

It was both interesting and useful learning about the origins and evolution of The Stove and the various projects they’re involved in, particularly when it came to reflecting on our own network and the challenges and opportunities we face locally. It was also helpful to think of our work in a larger political context, and of the various nuances involved in acting as a mouthpiece for a range of organisations, its drawbacks and benefits. It was also of interest to The Stove to hear about the work we have been doing over the last three years, and for them to gain insight into our developing methods of working together.

Learning Outcomes

• To learn from other networks at different stages of development. The Creative Community Hubs Network is a relatively new entity, made up of a variety of community-based organisations in Edinburgh, some of which have been in existence for decades and some which have only been serving their local communities for a couple of years. This trip will allow us all to learn from a different sort of network which has evolved differently and which has years of experience to share with us.
• To better advocate for our communities. All members of the Hubs Network are fierce advocates of our local communities, but we don’t always speak with a unified voice. Seeing how The Stove advocates for the work they do will inform our approach, and there is also the possibility of future work between the two networks to better articulate our collective needs and wishes.
• To build bonds and solidarity across organisations with similar ethos and aims. We anticipate there will be a great deal of resonance between what the Hubs Network is trying to achieve, and the aims of The Stove Network. Visiting one another in each other’s place will help us better understand the successes and challenges we each face, and allow us to potentially work together better in the future.

"The addition of insight into The Midsteeple Quarter was useful, not just to stretch our legs after a long drive as well as seeing some of Dumfries city centre, but also as a standalone project of an organisation having real impact on communities locally. A number of organisations in our network have recently completed Community Asset Transfers on their buildings and/or land their buildings stand on, and work like this is inspiring in terms of how a community-based organisation can continue to have impact on their local community, outside the confines of their building. The exchange also helped fund a member of Whale Arts staff gain their MiDAS certificate in minibus driving, which will be of benefit to the organisation for years to come."