West Bay Wonder - Play on West Bay
Join us for a picnic!
Saturday 29 June from 1pm onwards
Bring your snacks and a blanket or chair and join us for a blether on West Bay as part of our Play on West Bay day. Meet us at the play area.
Play on West Bay
Complete our survey
Dunoon Community Development Trust and Dunoon Community Council are carrying out research to understand community priorities for play and recreation provision on West Bay, across all ages and abilities.
We are not just considering play equipment, but also wider issues, for example, how spaces are defined for play and how amenities can be improved to enable more people to visit and enjoy the West Bay area.
The information gathered in this survey will be used to inform the direction of future projects linked to the sustainable regeneration of West Bay, including the development of a Local Place Plan for Dunoon.
West Bay Wonder
Outdoor Exhibition now OPEN
From 25 June to 5 July, an outdoor exhibition and activities to celebrate West Bay’s natural and cultural heritage will take place around Dunoon’s iconic bay, led by Dunoon Community Development Trust.
Dunoon Community Development Trust is leading a wide-ranging consultation with local people to identify small changes and partnerships that could make West Bay an even better place for our community. As part of that consultation, an exhibition and activities on the Bay will be held.
Along West Bay’s 1,000-metre-long esplanade, is a shingle beach teeming with wildlife and things to see and do. You can take a dip in the Clyde, have a coffee at the cafe, stay in a hotel, play a round of miniature golf, take the kids to the play park, nip to the loo, enjoy a leisurely walk or cycle, look out for oystercatchers and wildflowers, and take in the spectacular views down the Firth of Clyde. While there are plenty of positives, there’s still room for improvement.
To share knowledge of the natural and cultural heritage of the Bay, and to gather local people’s perspectives, the Trust is running an outdoor exhibition, West Bay Wonder, and a day of activities, Play on West Bay, as well as led walks in association with Dunoon Bothy.
The activities include open-water swimming, sea wildlife spotting, trishaw rides, surveying our shingle beach, a beach clean and led walks. Booking links and event information are listed on What’s On Dunoon.
With the support of local creative practitioners from POP shop enterprises CIC, and in collaboration with a variety of local partners, including Dunoon Community Council and the Conservation And Regeneration Scheme (CARS) initiative, the temporary West Bay Wonder exhibition will share interesting information about the Bay’s rich cultural and natural heritage, from the wildlife that lives there to stories about how people have used it through time. The exhibition forms part of a series of activities over the next few months to inform the creation of a Local Place Plan for Dunoon.
Ann Campbell, Dunoon Community Development Trust partnership and development manager comments: “We are excited to launch West Bay Wonder and to begin our local consultation on one of Dunoon’s most precious natural and cultural assets.
“West Bay Wonder is part of a series of events and activities that we’re facilitating over the next few months to inform the creation of a Local Place Plan for Dunoon. It’s a chance for local people to learn more about West Bay’s heritage and share their views on its future.”
Play on West Bay
Saturday 29 June - come and join in the fun!
This programme of activities on West Bay is free, but most of the workshops require you to book. There will be an exhibition running along the shore to, so plenty of things to see and do on the day to.
10am – Beach Clean and Survey
Start your day with a Marine Conservation Society beach clean and survey. Led by Claire Hallybone of scuba diving and sea adventure company, Wreckspeditions.
Find out more
11:30am – Open Water Swimming for beginners
A small group and friendly outdoor swimming session at West Bay on the basics to help you get started safely and confidently in open water.
To find out more and book your place
12 pm – The Science of a Shingle beach
Explore what makes a shingle beach a unique natural habitat. Develop seaweed and plant identification skills with local expert Debz Wright.
To find out more and book your place
From 2pm – Trishaw Rides (6 slots) FULLY BOOKED!
A trishaw ride is a brilliant, low-carbon way of exploring West Bay when you are not able to walk or cycle yourself.
To find out more and book your space
2pm Sea Bird and Sea Mammal Spotting on West Bay
To find out more and book your place
Plus play activities for young people and their families, learn more about railing painting, volunteering opportunities and much more.
This beach clean and survey is part of a day of activities linked to West Bay Wonder. Small changes to help make West Bay a better place for people, enterprise and the environment. Led by Dunoon Community Development Trust, this work will inform the development of a Local Place Plan for Dunoon