Castle Douglas Development Forum has appointed Emma Haigh as the new Project Manager of the Stepping Stones Project.
Emma has succeeded Vivianne Brown and is taking over the responsibility of running its food bank in Castle Douglas and a satellite site in Dalbeattie, operated in partnership with Dalbeattie Initiative.
The Stepping Stones Project earnt Castle Douglas Development Forum a place on The Big Issues’ top 100 Changemakers of 2021 for providing an emergency food bank during the pandemic and working towards tackling poverty.
Alongside its food bank, Stepping Stones helps people in crisis in the Stewartry, and also offers guidance to support them to move forward and get the longer term help they require to become more financially independent.
“We are delighted to welcome Emma Haigh onto our team as the new manager for Stepping Stones. She brings a wealth of experience which will make the Stepping Stones project both more effective at signposting routes out of poverty as well as continuing to make sure that the food bank in Castle Douglas meets the needs of those in our communities across the Stewartry who are struggling to make ends meet right now.”
Carolyn Yates, CDDF Chairperson
Emma is originally from Portsmouth but moved to Helensburgh in Argyll and Bute 24 years ago. She relocated to Dumfries in Spring 2020.
Emma has worked in Project Management for eight years within the defence sector and as an Integration Manager for Babcock International, and as a Site Manager for Plastic Recycling Technology a keen fundraiser, leading a team on a Ben Nevis climb to raise money for charity, arranging and joining a team of 20 people to walk the 40 miles from Keswick to Barrow for four consecutive years and, the chairpersons for a Ladies darts league, organising fundraising events.
Emma is not a person to sit around, during the pandemic she has started repurposing old whiskey barrels to make furniture.
Regarding her new role, Emma said: “I am very excited to be starting as the Project Manager for Stepping Stones, I look forward to working with the team and other agencies to support the community. The Stepping Stones project is an amazing effort providing assistance to those inneed and a great reflection of community spirit which I think is so important and more so overt he last 12 months.”
If you are in need of help and would benefit from the services offered by the Stepping Stones project, please contact: steppingstones@castledouglas.info or if in need of an emergency food parcel please call: 07730788335.