Trail marker 4, Looking West, Life at the Stranraer Campus.

Although we are here in Dumfries at the Crichton Campus, if you look west across the hills, the story of Dumfries and Galloway College continues. In the heart of Stranraer, on Lewis Street, the college brings learning and community together, ensuring that opportunity is not limited by distance.

As the college grew through the 1970s and 1980s, it became clear that learners in the west of the region needed their own access to further education. Travelling the 75 miles to Dumfries was not always possible, and for many, it placed further education out of reach. The response was clear, “Bring learning closer to home.”

Former curriculum manager Jim Maginess helped to establish the Newton-Stewart and Stranraer Campus sites, he recalls:

“The John Niven Campus came along, which pooled everybody together. We’re working from our centers at that moment in time, pooled everybody together into one building and one facility, which made it much, much easier because you had support, you had people to share knowledge, information, sort out any problems. And so that was really the start of it for the campus at Stranraer. It was the mid, early 90s, I think, when it all kicked off.”

In 1990, the purpose-built John Niven Center, later renamed Stranraer Campus, opened its doors to the first students. It marked a significant moment, ensuring that communities in Wigtownshire and across the west of Dumfries and Galloway could access education locally. For many students, this campus represented a first step into training and new possibilities. Alongside this was the development of the Newton-Stewart Center, officially opened in August, 1999.

Jim Maginess remembers:

“I’m from Newton-Stewart, that’s where I stay. And the Stranraer Campus was really busy at that time. I think that was the 250, 300 students. And I knew that the site for the campus was the old health center, and I knew that it was going to be demolished and come up for sale. So I had a meeting with Vicki Quinn, who was the campus manager. And I suggested that she should maybe look into the college purchasing the site with a view at some point, they might consider opening a campus in Newton-Stewart. So I instigated that, absolutely instigated that. I didn’t get much recognition for it, it has to be said. But lo and behold, Vicki moved it forward with Jim Neal, I think it was at the time. Yeah, I think it was Jim Neal was the principal at the time. And eventually they managed to get European funding and they built a new campus at Newton-Stewart. Again, I was proud of that. Although I was in the background, I suppose, it was my idea that Vicki moved forward. I’m very happy about that.”

Over the years, Stranraer Campus has offered a wide range of courses, from vocational training and skills to pathways into further and higher education. Its provision has always been shaped by the needs of the local community by responding to employers and changing opportunities. For learners in the West of the region, access to education close to home matters deeply. Learning here has never existed in isolation and distance should not limit ambition. That belief continues to define the campus today. Stranraer Campus is more than just a building. In 2018, students from the Stranraer Campus had their first graduation, celebrating their achievements at the Ryan Centre and ensuring that learners there can share this important moment with their families, friends and local community.

With 40 years of experience at the college, Jim Maginess talks about the graduation ceremonies held at Stranraer:

“That’s right, and they were very proud, initially shy but proud when you talk to their parents and afterwards you realize how important that opportunity was, but before that time, it wasn’t possible to study locally. So the John Niven Campus campus and the presence of the outcenters allowed local people to study at home. And I think that was particularly valuable for mature learners that had missed an opportunity in earlier life to get qualifications for employment. And that theme carried on right through my time at Stranraer because many, many thousands of learners, mature learners came through Stranraer Campus and got into degree courses and really successful in work opportunities and placements. So very proud of that.”

Today, all students are invited to attend the graduation ceremony at the Crichton Church. The campus continues to evolve, adapting courses to reflect modern skills and new industries. It also remains a vital part of the region’s educational landscape by ensuring that learning is accessible to all. It is a place where people return to learning, where careers begin and where confidence grows and where communities are strengthened through education.

Alastair Irons, current board member and emeritus professor reflects:

“I see it making a difference to people that want to stay in Stranraer And that’s great, but also giving folks that maybe not have the opportunity to travel, leave home and go elsewhere or to travel to Ayr or to travel to Dumfries to further the studies. It’s great that there’s a resource there to enable people to do things. The staff at Stranraer are fantastic and totally dedicated to the education, but also to the community. And we look at things moving with the boats gan further up the lock and, you know, industry leaving the town. They need to have that resource, that opportunity for people to be as good as they can be to achieve as much as they can. And the college is like smack bang at the centre of enabling that to happen.”

As you reflect on the story of Stranraer, consider the importance of place and education for Dumfries and Galloway College. Opportunity is not something that belongs in one location. It belongs everywhere.