The founder of a new community website for Dumbarton hopes that it can become a one-stop shop for information about the town.
Ian Sinkins launched Dumbarton.net earlier this month, having been blown away by the community feel of the town since moving there in the summer.
And he was keen to do his own bit to boost community spirit, creating a site that will support residents through the cost-of-living crisis – and showcase all the town has to offer to tourists.
Ian, who is originally from Somerset, explained: “Where you have that strong community spirit it can sometimes be a bit disjointed. I wanted to create an online community hub. Somewhere where everything is in one place to access.
“That can range from where you can charge your electric vehicle to where you can park at the weekend.
“I think it is quite an exciting time for the town. I wanted to prepare the site so it’s ready for those things being complete, for tourists coming back to the castle when it reopens and those sorts of things.
“With the rise of the cost-of-living crisis I wanted there to be somewhere people could go to access all the information and support in a very simple and easy to read manner.
“We’ll hopefully have a Dumbarton history section built up and live over the next year or so too.
“We had a lot of good feedback on social media with people saying it was good to get the information out there with the tough times people are having at the moment.
“I also sent it out to local representatives, councillors and Jackie Baillie who have come back to me and said they thought it looked like a great initiative and wished me well with it.” He revealed he believes it’s an exciting period for Dumbarton – with multi-million pound projects set to transform the rundown High Street.
Ian continued: “I think Dumbarton is at quite an exciting time.
“It doesn’t always feel like that when things move at a slow pace.
“Sometimes people are a bit downbeat about the town. They have maybe felt like it has been let down by people in the council or forgotten about.
“For an outsider there’s a lot that makes you think ‘wow’. It’s a great town, with a great community spirit. I think I learn something new about the town every day.
“There are little gems dotted around the place that makes it great.
“If you’re there all the time there can be things that don’t stand out for you.
“It’s an exciting time for the town with all the potential happenings at the Artizan and Glencairn House. Those will help bring a spark to the High Street. That’s something I’m looking forward to.
“Highlighting stuff like that on the website can bring more attention to it. It means people can appreciate it.
“If you live in the town, work in the town, visit the town or are just passing through then hopefully there is a lot that everyone can be inspired or happy about.”
Having originally moved from his hometown of Frome to Glasgow to study at university, Ian said that he fell in love with Dumbarton the first time he visited – after passing through on a train journey.
He added: “I’ve always been searching for a place with the community spirit like I had back home, and in Dumbarton I found it.
“I stumbled across Dumbarton on a train journey and loved it straight away, so I tried to move here as quickly as I could.”
You can visit Ian’s website at Dumbarton.net.
