Press enquiries
Contact information for the Communications Unit of Dumfries and Galloway Council.
The Communications Unit can be reached during normal working hours (9am to 5pm weekdays, excluding public holidays).
For audit/tracking purposes, all media enquiries should be emailed to pressenquiry@dumgal.gov.uk and all responses will be given via email.
If you want to speak to our communications officers, you can call them on the mobile numbers below. Their areas of responsibility are listed here.
Working-hours contact information
Claire Beattie, Communications Lead Officer
Claire heads the communications officers' team and covers strategic Economic Development projects (including Borderlands, Chapelcross and SOSE), Regeneration, Climate, whole-council (corporate) enquiries, including matters relating to Full Council, Convention of the South of Scotland and Elections.
Tel: 07747 441594
Steven Kirkpatrick, Senior Communications Officer
Steven covers Education and Learning, Youth Work, Leisure Facilities, Museums and Galleries, Housing, Community Resilience and Emergency Planning as well as Major Events and Elections.
Tel: 07500 032404
Gary Kirkpatrick, Communications Officer
Gary covers Roads, Waste, Environment, including Core Paths and Countryside Access, Civic Events, Lord Lieutenancy, Armed Forces, Planning, Economy, Transport, Flood Risk Management, Infrastructure, and Trading and Environmental Standards.
Tel: 07584 112560
Ralph Hull, Communications Officer
Ralph covers internal communications, Licensing, Lifelong Learning, Employability and Skills, and Enabling and Customer Services directorate projects.
Tel: 07584 156421
Ruaridh Thin-Smith, Communications Officer
Ruaridh covers Social Work, Community Payback, Fostering, Public Protection, Alcohol and Drugs Partnership, Resettlement, Poverty and Inequalities, partnership work with the NHS and Health and Social Care Partnership, and Community Planning and Engagement.
Jennifer Young, Communications Officer
Jennifer covers SWESTRANS' Active Travel projects, Sustainable Travel projects and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points.
Tel: 07350 376075
Darrell Teaves, Communications Officer
Darrell covers Ukrainian Resettlement and liaises with key partners on our Resettlement projects.
Tel: 07385 479297
The Communications Manager is David Sawyer. He is responsible for the Communications Unit (external and internal communications, graphics, multimedia, social and web) and can be reached on 07770 886923.
