Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 22 December 2021
It is about the community. Ultimately, it is about what I call my hame toon. As Queen’s fans say, “Yer hame team’s yer ain team.” I have such memories of supporting Queen of the South—at the 2008 Scottish cup final, for example. It did not matter that we did not actually win the game—thousands of the blue and white army still proudly paraded through the town behind the open-top team bus, days after the game. Getting to that final led to Queen’s only venture into Europe, against Denmark’s FC Nordsjælland. I remember walking through Copenhagen’s main street in the days before that match. It felt as if we were walking through Dumfries as we stopped to chat to so many familiar faces—guid neighbour after guid neighbour.
As Emma Harper said, it is that community spirit and friendliness that really make the town of Dumfries. City status would make Dumfries, and the work of the community groups that have been mentioned—from the Midsteeple Quarter to the People’s Project—encapsulates the pride that we have in our town.
I do not know whether the city status bid will be successful. As we have heard, some people might ask whether it is worth it, as it does not come with any extra funding. We are a very proud town, but I know that the research suggests that achieving city status can provide an economic boost and put a place on the map, and Dumfries has as good a case as anywhere to be a city.