Sparkling Dunbar Strikes Gold Again!

What a stupendous event we had with our highest attendance yet with visitors enjoying superb events to arouse their interest. Relaxing in the sunshine, sparkling on the harbour waters, people came from near and far to enjoy the day. So many participated in our ‘Pirates and the Sea’ fancy-dress theme with enthusiasm and amazing outfits. Even a local yachtsman joined in the fun with a Jolly Roger sail!
'Tis oft heard whispered hereabouts, by Blackheart Wemyss of the Waterfront, that the booty spirited away amounted to nigh close on £1,000+ --- but dead men don't tell no tales, see... or else. (all funds gratefully received by DHT and will be popped into the treasure chest for next years' event)
Big Blu Pizza, The Donut Man, Sno Cream Ices, The Tasty Toastie and Bisset's Fish Van had queues all day long, whilst many plonked themselves onto the upcycled creel benches, painted by children at our Environmental Open Day, to enjoy a liquid refreshment provided by the Linton Hotel & Steakhouse.
Stalls were provided by Hoth Crochet, Sweet Delights, Cats Eyes Crafts, Handpict, Salt Pig Sea Salts, The Soap Farm, Lark and Sea and the RSPB --- a superb selection of quirky crafts and artisan foods, whilst Dominique Oldham painted hundreds of little faces.
The Battery was bustling with a fantastic turnout with the super-appreciative audience tapping toes to mellifluous music and smiling widely at the wonderful children from Dance Discovery. The quality of music at this year’s event, performed by Luke Hunter, Vinyl ’85, The Soul Foundation, Waiting for Pedro and Damson Jam was to be applauded, and was professionally projected by Liam Morrison and his ELJam crew.
One visitor from the West Coast, with family, wrote "We all thoroughly enjoyed it. We spent a fair bit of time exploring the town generally, not just the festival, which I guess is one of the main aims of the event."
Perhaps one of the most astounding things was the lack of litter during and after the event. We would like to thank everyone for being so responsible.
Finally, a huge thank you to the family and friends who worked tirelessly on the lead-up and on the day. Their support was phenomenal, and this event would not have been the success it was without their endless efforts to assist.
Looking forward to 2020 already!
photos by Kenny Maule, click "Read More" for photo 2.
Boat owners: post-Brexit

Boat owners, leisure and professional, are advised by HMRC to carry evidence of VAT-status onboard their vessels ‘at all times’ in case of checks by customs officials, since the end of the Brexit transition on 31 December 2020. This applies to both commercial and leisure craft.
HMRC is advising owners to put together evidence of VAT-status, such as documentation of VAT paid, and evidence of where their yacht was at the end of the transition period. This is the case for all third countries.
They will also need to keep careful records about where their yacht has been subsequently, such as mooring receipts, so there is a record trail of evidence for VAT-status in case they are asked by officials. All documentation should be brought to and from the boat, rather than left aboard, due to the ‘damp nature’ of vessels.
Details:https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/news/boat-owners-need-to-carry-vat-proof-onboard-post-brexit-75771
Photo by Kenny Maule
Meet Nessie...

Interview with Romie Blair (Nessie), inspiration and taskmaster of Dunbar Against Litter.
Founded by Nessie, DAL is a group of like-minded people who would like to see Dunbar as litter-free as possible. DAL works with East Lothian Council, Zero Waste Dunbar, and Viridor as well as businesses and individuals in Dunbar who work at disposing of litter responsibly. Nessie is also a West Barns Community councillor.
“We are all volunteers, picking up litter from our streets, beaches, countryside and roadside and disposing of it in a responsible manner. We also want to spread the word and get people on board. You can volunteer! We have a project of Adopting-a-street - asking people to help clean up an area of the town. We can assist you by supplying bags and we hope to be able to supply pick-up sticks and hi-vis vests where funds allow. We can also help by advising where you can drop off bags that will be collected regularly. Additionally, we have litter bins in areas that the Council cannot reach. These bins are emptied regularly by our volunteers.”
Nessie, where were you born?Dunbar, born and bred, went to Dunbar schools, studied and then returned to Dunbar in the 80s.Do you have children? Yes, three sons. I’m now retired and busier than ever.Is Nessie your real name? I was nicknamed Nessie when I lived in London after studying at Charing Cross School of Window Dressing. How many ‘helpers’ are on your team?We have about 60 helpers who litter pick from West Barns to Torness. Oh, and there’s 990 supporters on our FB page. We get lots of compliments from the public.Does it keep you all fit?Yes! We even have helpers on mobility scooters who zoom around gathering litter. Also it helps with mental health issues to be outside doing something useful for everybody.Everyone seems to regard you as a character, how could that possibly be? Perhaps because I get things done! I’ve had many jobs including music promoter, running Granny Radge Promos, community charities, even music events in a strip club with pole dancers. I’m thinking of doing a future event: “Live at the Lavvies” near the toilets in front of the swimming pool.Do you like visiting the Harbour, even if it’s for litter picking? Yes, I love our harbour but there’s some in our town who don’t know about the harbour!Are you sometimes an unpaid tourist guide?Yes, visitors ask questions and fall into interesting chats with us. Are gulls the culprits for distributing litter?Well, sometimes, but people overstuff bins with chip boxes and pizza boxes so the gulls easily pull it all out, then the wind spreads it. Horrible and unhealthy.Has Covid 19 affected your work? Not really, we work separately outside in the fresh air, ventilation is good. What are you planning for 2021? First Aid courses and we hope to start a children's club once a fortnight to see how it goes.How can people donate to your good works?By direct debit. Bank: Dunbar Against Litter, 80-22-60, a/c 18280269, even £1/month is fine, or give us a cheque, or there’s collection tins in the Garden Centre, and lots of people help us, Douglas Reid’s garage (01368 863096) does our van MOT for free. Thanks lads! Plus we’ll soon be a charity once the paperwork’s complete.Any other help needed?a) We need a small space to take out litter-picks to enable us to recycle more b) Know any clever techie who could connect up our wildlife cameras, please?“Thank you, Nessie, and good luck for 2021.”Her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DunbarAgainstLitter/Photo from DAL's FB page."What If....?"

The Dunbar Harbour Trust held an informal event on Thurs 28th Jan, to share our ‘What If...’ aspirations. The evening was a success (derived from positive feedback). Sustaining Dunbar were facilitating the event and had many enquiries from people who were unable to attend, so this memorable event has now been published on Sustaining Dunbar’s website.
Click here for full details, including presentations:--- https://sustainingdunbar.org/2021/02/dunbar-harbour-trust-what-if-online-event/#more-10624
Achievements during 2020 included:
- Erection of a permanent gate at the North Wall to prevent people from walking along the north side during over-topping.
- Installation of the first part of the barrier to prevent the forklift truck falling into Victoria Harbour.
- Installation of AIS repeater
- Upgrading of leading lights
- Introduction of full CCTV coverage
- Introduction of a new reporting system
- A review of three risks at every Board Meeting
- Certification and inspection records for harbour equipment improved.
- Safety guidance for leisure users issued
- Checks on qualifications of new applicants introduced
- Local contractor appointed to inspect lifting gear.