Leading Scottish PPE firm Alpha Solway has partnered with Dumfries and Galloway Council to provide PPE for dozens of community events projects across the region, aiding economic and social COVID recovery.

The innovative manufacturer, part of Globus Group – the biggest British-based PPE company, has collaborated with the Council to support 39 funded community events in Dumfries and Galloway, distributing PPE as part of a £60,000 scheme to encourage towns and villages to hold small-scale festivals and community gatherings in the aftermath of COVID-19-related lockdowns.

Alpha Solway will donate thousands of protective products, including medically certified respirators, to support the successful and safe running of these projects, from sports open days, to community ceilidhs, gala weeks and a number of new micro-festivals. Many small communities such as Balmaclellan, Kirkmichael, Whithorn and Colvend have already responded to the new Fund to plan events projects to bring local people together.

These funded projects represent 39 steps in helping communities move on from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council has also recently published a Community Events Toolkit to provide information and guidance to community events organisers who are planning or considering planning a festival or event in Dumfries and Galloway.

Alpha Solway Managing Director Steven Binnie said: "We're delighted to be partnering with Dumfries and Galloway Council for this important initiative. With the easing of restrictions and people's lives slowly returning to some sort of normality, it's great to get communities together again. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic not yet over, we want to ensure that everybody is properly protected during these events, to keep our community safe and help restore people's confidence in attending social outings, putting people's minds at ease.

Councillor Andy Ferguson, Chair of the Council's Communities Committee added: "I warmly welcome Alpha Solway's support for Dumfries and Galloway's community events organisers. Their generous provision of PPE equipment for dozens of festivals and events across our region will play a significant role in rebuilding the confidence of this sector. There are now many opportunities for local people and tourists to get out and about in Dumfries and Galloway and take in some of our wonderful visitor attractions and festivals and events."