Kirkcudbright’s tourist information centre is open again – thanks to a band of public-spirited volunteers.
VisitScotland provoked an outcry when the agency closed the Harbour Square facility in February.
It looked as though the Artists’s Town would have nowhere for thousands of visitors to go for information.
But Kirkcudbright Development Trust stepped in and opened talks with VisitScotland to run the centre themselves.
And on Saturday their dream became reality – just in time for the school holidays.
Trust chairperson Lesley Garbutt said: “This maintains an asset that Kirkcudbright has enjoyed for some time.
“It’s just that now for whatever reason that we have to provide the service ourselves.
“We had over 100 people through on Saturday.
“It was a bit quieter on Sunday but we had over 100 again on Monday.”
“The centre is very valued and the comments on Facebook since we opened have been very, very positive.
“Our target is to open for the season for around eight weeks. At the end of that we should be in a better place to see how best to take things forward.”
Full services usually provided by VisitScotland, such as onward bookings are not yet in place, Mrs Garbutt said.
She added: “What we are trying to do is walk before we run. We need to make it a sustainable venture and will be looking as a group to get some kind of income.
“We have been provided with the same brochures and leaflets that any Visit Scotland outlet would have. The aspiration is a rent-free lease of the premises for three years.
“The lease is not yet signed.”
