Dumfries Devorgilla Rotary Club set to open their biggest fundraising shop yet

Dumfries Devorgilla Rotary Club is once again bringing its annual Charity Pop Up Shop to the Loreburne Shopping Centre this November, and this year’s edition is expected to be the biggest and most successful to date. The shop will run from 19th to 22nd November in the former BrightHouse unit, offering visitors a wide selection of pre loved items, many of which are unique and not commonly found on today’s High Street.

The Pop Up Shop will be fully staffed by Devorgilla Rotary volunteers and supporters. Now in its sixth year, the initiative has grown steadily since its launch in November 2020, when it was first introduced to help encourage the local community to shop close to home following the Covid pandemic.

Devorgilla President Frank Jones expressed the Club’s appreciation:

“We are really excited to be opening the shop again, which remains one of our major fundraisers for the charities we support. We are extremely grateful to the Loreburne Shopping Centre and Hurstwood Holdings for making the event possible, especially Jannah Hibberd, without whom we would not be able to open the Pop Up Shop. Over previous years, an incredible £22,000 has been raised, benefiting many local charities. We are delighted to have such a prime location once more and hope to support good causes including Freddie’s Sunshine and Destination Florida, as selected by Hurstwood Holdings.”

The Charity Pop Up Shop will be set up on 18th November, and donations of items for sale will be gratefully received directly at the shop. A daily Tombola with a range of prizes will also be available throughout the event.

DUMFRIES jeweller David Gauld long believed that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but has changed his tune as he is now selling lab grown diamonds.

Lab grown diamonds can be a divisive topic among jewellers with some believing that natural mined diamonds are superior.
Gems Jewellers’ owner David was also initially reluctant to sell pieces with lab grown stones, believing that they were too expensive.

But as the price of the stones decreased and they began to grow in popularity, David has begun to see their merit and now believes they are a worthwhile purchase for those who want a bit of sparkle for a reasonable price.

He said: “Lab grown diamonds offer value for money and are environmentally ethical because they are made in a laboratory and you’ll know where they come from as they are all certificated.
“The reason I’ve started selling them is because of the growth in popularity, as there is no visible difference between a lab grown and a mined diamond. »

Gems now stocks a range of pieces that are adorned with lab grown diamonds from pendant necklaces, earrings and rings with platinum bands, making them the perfect pieces to say ‘I do with.

Hurstwood Holdings, the owners of the Loreburne Centre in Dumfries, has been granted planning permission for a new £500,000 indoor Food Village.

Designed by RGP Architects, the contemporary new Food Village will provide an eclectic array of local entrepreneurs and popular high street operators in 8,000 sq ft of space with flexible table and seating areas.  The project is going through the final stages of design and will be put out to tender in the coming weeks.

Michael O’Hagan, General Manager of Loreburne Centre, comments: “The feedback on the changes that Hurstwood has already made to the Centre has been fantastic and we are very much looking forward to this next important stage in its development as a key retail and leisure destination . The Food Village will dramatically improve our existing offering and is sure to attract new and existing visitors to the Centre and in turn, Dumfries.