Plans for a major cycling festival based in Gatehouse have received backing from councillors.
Events experts Golazo are putting together the Raiders Gravel Galloway which is expected to bring hundreds of cyclists from across the globe to the Galloway Forest Park in the autumn.
And members of the council’s communities committee have agreed to provide £20,000 from the local authority’s community events fund in a bid to get the festival up and running.
Golazo’s plans have already won support from VisitScotland, Eventscotland and South of Scotland Enterprise with the latter also providing £20,000.
The funding for the cycling festival was part of an interim major festivals and events action plan for the next 12 months that councillors approved in a bid to help communities recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
A total of £365,500 of support was agreed which included £20,000 for events marking the arrival of the Galloway Hoard at Kirkcudbright Galleries later in the year.
There was also backing for £40,000 to go towards a round of cycling’s Tour Series – put together by Tour of Britain organisers – being held in the Stewartry.
Wigtown Book Festival, Spring Fling and the Scottish Rally were among the other beneficiaries.
And £57,000 was set aside for community events.
“They are major assets for Dumfries and Galloway and we have a sensitive programme of development to help communities come together this year and slowly and surely open up our economy to new events development. At the heart of our work will be community consultation and the safe management of festivals and events.”
