Craig Hamnett

Our slightly delayed Members’ meeting will take place on Tuesday 14th April at 19:30 in The Lounge at The Wigtown Ploughman.

Draft agenda

Reminder that Members’ are able to send in agenda items for discussion

Our December Members’ Meeting was be held on Tuesday 2nd December at The Merse (the old Church Hall on Lochancroft Lane) from 7:30pm – 8:30pm.

Draft Minutes

1. Newest Member of the Management Committee

A warm welcome was extended to Meg MacPherson who has agreed to be co-opted on to the management committee.  Meg will bring a direct link to the volunteers and so improve communications between us. The Chair explained the rules regarding how co-opting to the Management Committee work

2. Feedback from Volunteer meeting on 17th November and future meetings

An update was provided for the volunteer and management committee meeting on the 17/11/25. Improved liaison sharing feedback and fears as we move forward with food and rooms.  It was suggested that we hold these meetings every 3 months. There is an appetite to open the lounge on a Thursday, however this would need to be supported by more volunteers. This will be looked into in early 2026.

3. Moving to quarterly Member meetings and a monthly newsletter

The Chair proposed that the Members Meetings be moved to a quarterly and supported by a newsletter.

4. Christmas Events

Lounge events will be added to the Wigtown Ploughman website.  The Benefits Society website will be updated.  Wigtown Events provides information about opening times for local establishments and events locally. We will promote the Wigtown Ploughman’s new wine list a cheese and wine tasting on the 16th with two sessions 7-8 and 8-9 £5 for concessions (us wonderful people who despite all that life has thrown at us have made it to retirement) £8 others (who are still suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune). 

5. Fundraising

This is continuing to be explored for projects that require it. An upgrade of the toilets and purchase of the land to the rear of the pub, plus a few other smaller projects. The recent SOSE visit was favourable to fund other projects which meet their criteria of £20K or more. Other sources may be available and are being investigated.

Currently approximately £7K of funds are still available, but it is to be kept as a cushion against low expected takings in January and February.  To the end of November takings have been covering the wage bill.

6. Accommodation update

The accommodation progresses The Carinsmore flat is available for rental from a Friday minimum of three days. Booking via the Wigtown Ploughman website cheapest or Booking.com.  The hotel rooms it is hoped will be furnished and available in late February depending on available funds. This development will need a breakfast service and building manager to support the expanded operation. At this point when the pub becomes fully open and is supported by employees, the management committee hope to work on guiding, improving and supporting the pub and becoming less hands on.

7. AOB

Q Is the painting of the front of the building planned?

A Yes, But various options are available, returning to the brick/stone work, repair repaint to an agreed scheme we need to obtain quotes.  This is not a winter activity and funds will need to be identified.

Q How are sales going?

A. The sales are going well and covering costs, up to November no loss has been incurred. Ideas to increase sales are always welcome. Gift vouchers and Ploughman glasses are still available.

The pub will be closed on Christmas Day. A Hogmanay Party is planned and all are invited.

The Christmas Quiz price fund is £400 and will be won on the night.

The date for the next Members Meeting is planned in March, time, date, and venue TBD

Page updated on 1/4/2026

Our October Members’ Meeting was held on Tuesday 21st October at The Merse (the old Church Hall on Lochancroft Lane) from 7:30pm – 8:30pm.

Read more

The Annual Members’ Meeting was held on Wednesday 27th August at The Merse (the old Church Hall on Lochancroft Lane) from 7pm – 8.30pm.

Read more

Our July Members’ Meeting will be held on Tuesday 22nd July at The Merse (the old Church Hall on Lochancroft Lane) from 7pm – 8pm.

A draft agenda for this meeting consists of:

• AMM (Annual Members’ Meeting) process/nominations
• Formation of the kitchen subcommittee
• Bar update
• Volunteer update
• The Cairnsmore (3 bedroom self-catering accommodation) update and tentative opening date
• Pick up your share certificates

We hope you’ll be able to join us for this latest update.

As ever, thank you so much.

The Members’ Meeting on June 3rd was held at The Wigtown Ploughman at 8pm. The minutes for that meeting will be available here soon.

Hello lovely members! Hopefully you received an email about our Members’ meeting this evening – if you can, please come along to The Wigtown Ploughman (not the County Buildings) at 8pm til 9pm. We look forward to providing an update on our progress.

Minutes

1. Welcome and Apologies

Apologies were received from Peter Dobson, Caroline McLearn, Nic Passfield, and Jan Winder.

Thanks to everyone for coming. It’s been 1 month and 5 days since our last meeting—what a whirlwind! The bar opened four weeks ago, and we hope people have found it welcoming and warm. There have been no major difficulties, and things have gone smoothly.

Members are invited to suggest any improvements. Craig noted how pleased we are with the paid staff, who have hit the ground running and contributed significantly to the pub’s success. We hope they will gradually take on more responsibility, and we’re aiming to bring in additional staff.

2. Warm Space/The Lounge update

We’ve been looking for a volunteer to coordinate Lounge volunteers. A meeting took place in the Lounge today—thanks to Penni and the 12 attendees. The aim is to open the Lounge from 10am–2pm, four days a week, with volunteers doing two-hour shifts. We have a supportive bank of volunteers who will drop in to back up the two scheduled people on each shift.

No DBS checks are required, as we are not specifically catering to vulnerable adults or children. All those attending have previous voluntary experience. We hope to extend opening hours in future.

A further volunteer meeting will be held on 30th April. The Lounge will officially open on 12th May. It’s hoped the space will be used for reading, socialising, games, and accessing Wi-Fi.

Penni will need to step back from the coordinator role shortly due to a hospital procedure, but she’s confident someone from the new volunteer group will take it on.

3. Bar / Entertainment Subcommittee / planned events

Now that the bar is established, the Bar Committee has merged with the Entertainment Committee. David confirmed that the bar is now self-sustaining. There have been some changes to ales, with new options from Five Kingdoms Brewery. We’re planning a ticketed ale tasting night in collaboration with them.

Last Friday’s pub quiz went very well—Phil Hall did a fantastic job as compère.

This Sunday, we’re hosting a food offering from Toots & Co woodfired pizza oven, now based in Leswalt. Sarah is keen to work with us. The event will be “3 Ps”: Pizza, Pudding, and a Pint. Leanne and Nadine will serve Lemon Meringue Pie, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Chocolate Brownie. Gluten-free options are available but must be pre-ordered. The pizza van will be at the back of the beer garden—thanks to the owners for granting access. Thanks also to Andi for the gardening work and for laying the gravel path.

For the 80th VE Day celebration, we’ll put up bunting and aim to commemorate the day, though options are limited due to our bar-only status.

Other ideas include a ticketed wine tasting session—possibly with grazing boxes from Toots & Co.

MSP Emma Harper recently held a surgery in the bar and was very impressed with the progress. We’ve extended the offer to other MSPs to book the space for their surgeries.

A booking system will be introduced for hiring out the Lounge and the three-bedroom flat.

4. The Cairnsmore – Self catering flat update

The Lounge Subcommittee has transitioned to focusing on decorating and furnishing the flat to let it as holiday accommodation. A £5,000 budget has been approved, drawn from the share capital. We’ve secured quality items at discounted prices, staying under budget thanks to careful planning.

Q: Andi – Will the flat remain a holiday let (not via Airbnb)?
A: Yes, it will be a six-person self-catering flat, listed on Booking.com and our website. If needed in the future to house a manager, we will review that.

The flat has its own kitchen, so meal provision is not required, which simplifies things.

Q: Andi – What’s the delay with the kitchen?
A: The delay relates to Scottish Power needing to connect us to three-phase power, which will cost around £2,000. We have three separate meters—for the kitchen, bar, and flat. Only the kitchen requires three-phase, and separate meters are useful for tracking running costs. The kitchen oven is 17kW.

The decorating group would like to name the flat The Cairnsmore. They aim to have it ready in 4–5 weeks, with items already being ordered.

Rates will be £750–£1,000 per week, which is in line with market pricing. As a six-person let, it must be high quality from the start—we can’t risk a poor review.

The Wigtown Ploughman has received 5-star reviews so far.

Once The Cairnsmore is operational, the pub may open seven days a week. This could mean extra hours and opportunities for current staff.

The share capital will also be used to support the kitchen and refurbish the four bedrooms.

Royal Mail has now updated our address to the Wigtown Ploughman (previously The Plough Inn). We also share this address with U3A, who use us as a postbox.

It’s been great seeing people playing cards and enjoying the Lounge space.

We’re exploring signage options and repainting the building frontage—members will vote on the colour scheme.

We’re very grateful to those who continue to help and check in to see what’s needed.

Nadine confirmed the coffee machine is now operational and will be available whenever the bar is open. She’ll also provide training. The machine was gifted to us after discovering our original one was beyond repair and has been scrapped. We paid £350 for the engineer’s certification. Nadine will manage bean orders and training.

We’re starting with basic coffee options, with plans to expand (including hot chocolate and flavoured teas) once the kitchen is running.

5. Financial health update

£10,000 of share capital was used to set up the bar. Sales are going well:

• Four days in March saw £3,000 in sales
• April-to-date shows £8,000 in sales

Even on quiet days, we’re taking around £300.

Upcoming expenses include:

• EPOS machine (£1,700)
• Payroll (due tomorrow)

6. Date and Time of Next Members Meeting

Tuesday 3rd June, 8PM

7. Members’ Questions, Ideas, and AOB

Q: Gillian: What about the sign?
We’re awaiting a quote from Galloway Signs. Lights for the hanging sign are in place, and the name Wigtown Ploughman will appear in lettering across the frontage. We’ve had positive feedback about allowing takeaway food and having tables outside.

Q: Will there be photos of the flat once it’s finished?
Yes—there will be photos, and probably an open day to let people see the space. Members will be involved in deciding the flat’s final appearance, as well as the front of the building. We’ll have marketing leaflets and ask members to help spread the word.

Q: Rebecca: Have we contacted VisitScotland?
Craig: Not yet, but we are in touch with SSDA (South of Scotland Destination Alliance), who focus on this area. A marketing committee may be formed. People are already visiting Wigtown based on recommendations from Ben and Beth during their tours. We’ll speak with them about helping us spread the word, and marketing efforts will be broadened.

Q: How much will the pizzas cost?
Around £12 for a large woodfired pizza.

Q: What are the bar prices?
All pints are £5 or under.

Q: Can we speed up the Scottish Power connection?
It was suggested that we contact our MP to help push for the connection.

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AGM: Likely to take place in July.

Meeting closed at 9PM with thanks to all who attended.

Hello lovely members! Hopefully you received an email about our Members’ meeting this evening – if you can, please come along to the County Buildings (the supper room upstairs, not the main hall this time) at 8pm til 9pm. We look forward to providing an update on the progress of the bar, the Community Hub, and a few other things before we open up for drinks on March 28th at 6pm!

Agenda

1. Welcome and Apologies
Apologies received from Penelope Cumming. 25 Members present and 7 committee members.

Craig gave grateful thanks for the continued support of members attending the meeting. Thanks were given for the support being received from all the members, and the continued trust in the committee.

2. Volunteer and business appreciation
Thanks were given to all volunteers who had helped with all sorts of jobs , and a list of all the help, donations and time given so far, which included Paul Scott of P S Carpets who donated and fitted replacement flooring in the corridor, and for the Wigtown Community Shop for their donation of £500, plus numerous others who have given their time and expertise to help get the Wigtown Ploughman into the position of being ready to open the doors on Friday 28th March 2025. Decorating committee looking at moodboarding ideas for the styling of the accommodation, having already done a fabulous job in creating a warm and inviting warm space – henceforth to be known as The Lounge.

3. Community share offering finalisation
80% of the share offerings have now been paid up and the outstanding pledges are being followed up. The swift payments of the pledges has allowed us to progress with purchasing necessary items, giving us the confidence that we can proceed and have budgets available. We are now in the position of being able to look at refurbishing the accommodation due to the high response and the cash flow.

4. Community Hub update
Now to be known as The Lounge – we have had 20 volunteers for the lounge but we have had to delay the opening as we are needing a volunteer manager to create a rota of volunteers to ensure we have cover available, we are now looking at 14 April for opening the Lounge and are actively seeking a volunteer manager. We will also be looking at a booking system for groups to be able to hold meetings in the Lounge outside of standard opening times. We have purchased an urn and essentials to provide tea and coffee, using the donation from the Wigtown Community Shop.

5. Bar opening date
David confirmed that the opening will be Friday 28th March at 6pm with local celebrity Scad who has kindly agreed to pull the first pint! 47 years ago, Scad worked at the Commercial Inn. He is delighted to have been asked.

Our opening hours for Friday will be 6 pm- 11pm, then 3-11pm on Saturday. Going forward, opening times will be 3pm – 11pm Thursday through to Sunday.

The bar is well stocked with a very good selection of wines, local beers (e.g 5 Kingdoms, Wigtown Brewery), spirits from Crafty and Bladnoch distilleries, plus Scottish beers, Belhaven Best and Black, and West 4. We have ciders and bottled cider and lots of bottled ale. We will be in a position to swap bottled ales that prove popular onto the pumps. We also have gluten free beer, and a wide range of zero alcohol drinks along with a wide range of soft drinks. Coca cola is not yet on an install, but will be available in cans and bottles until the install is complete, ( we turned down the offer of the install to take place on 28th as we felt we would be rather busy that day !) It is very likely that there will be a few teething problems while we all find our feet, so please be kind!

We will have a protocol in place to protect our staff and customer safety. The Wigtown Ploughman will be a warm and friendly pub and welcome to all, including well behaved dogs ( and owners !) and children accompanied by a responsible adult. The beer garden looks fantastic and is a real sun trap. We had a kind donation from Causeway Nursery of some plants which look great. We will possibly have a gazebo available and will have Smidge on hand for those that need it. There is potential in the future for a BBQ event. The rough land at the rear entrance to the beer garden will be tidied up and there is a potential in the future that this can be purchased and the garden extended.

Once funding allows, we are hoping to offer apprenticeships in hospitality .
It was also mentioned that we will be calling an AGM in the future whereby the current committee will step down and members can put themselves forward for election. Current committee members may also put themselves forward for re-election.

6. Date and time of next Members’ meeting
Date of next meeting is to be April 28th

7. Member questions, ideas, and AOB
Q- Hiring of staff, how did that go?
A- 8 interviews were conducted during the last week with a good mix of applicants. Today 3 of the 4 people that we have offered positions to. All of the hours that the bar is open will be covered by paid staff. Julie Willan is currently the premises license holder . All staff will be trained on the systems and will be expected to give a high level of service. Mandatory training to work behind the bar will be taken. We are planning a trial run on Thursday 27th to cover all aspects of what we anticipate will be required including Health and Safety and fire drills. The Committee will be available to step in as needed, but we wish the paid staff to be empowered to do their job and to ask for help rather than the committee taking control. There is a potential to extend hours if the staff wish to do so.

Q- Lounge – will it be available to book for meetings.
A- Yes, booking will be available. U3A has asked if they can share our postal address which we have agreed. The core hours of the Lounge will be 11-3 Monday to Friday, but outwith these hours, the space can be booked for clubs/meetings.

Q- What plans for extending the Accommodation and Dining?
A- a subcommittee has been formed who are costing out plans for refurbishing. A SOSE hospitality expert has been to visit and has estimated spend per room would be around £8k to achieve what the committee would like to do. (Context provided after the meeting – this figure also included redoing the bathrooms which wouldn’t be necessary in our scenario) The final decision will be based on financial viability. The kitchen refurb is much more involved and more expensive to be transformed so the likelihood is that the food offering will be in 2 phases with a light offering initially of Eg, pizza . This is likely to involve sectioning off the kitchen . In the future the kitchen will be completed and possibly expanded. There will be a kitchen committee, as it has been proven that having a bar committee worked successfully. We are confident that we will have some sort of food offering by the time of the Book Festival. In the interim, we are collating local information on takeaway foods in the area and are happy for people to order and consume their purchases on the premises.

Q- Update on the bar manager and residential flat.
A- we will be taking quite a bit of time for the appointment of a bar manager. There will be a closing date for applications, as yet undecided. It is not yet decided whether the flat will be offered as part of a package, as it may be a better source of income to let it as holiday accommodation – we will have more of an idea at the next meeting.

Q- when is the hot chocolate machine going to be ready!
A- it is awaiting service and commissioning so we are waiting to contact the engineer. We may use a backup in place.

Dave gave thanks to Craig for steering the ship, being level headed and doing so much.

Meeting was closed at 9.30pm