Dumfries Dougie’s fundraiser for charity that saved him

Dougie Smith and Jim Cherry have ambitious plans for a bee teaching shed at the Dumfries Veterans Garden is they can raise £1,000
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A Dumfries dad is appealing for help from the public so that he can give something back to the charity that helped save his life.

Dougie Smith said if it hadn’t been for the support he received from Dumfries Veterans Garden, he “wouldn’t be here today”.

A counsellor and members of the group took the 57-year-old under their wing following the deaths of five members of his family.

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Dougie Smith, pictured with Tam Muirhead at the Dumfries Veterans Garden has gifted plenty of bee keeping equipment which he personally paid for as a thank you for the mental health help he has received
Dougie Smith, pictured with Tam Muirhead at the Dumfries Veterans Garden has gifted plenty of bee keeping equipment which he personally paid for as a thank you for the mental health help he has received

Dougie said: ““I had lost my papa to leukaemia, granny to cancer, and both my brother and dad to suicide within a year, and then my wife to secondary breast cancer.

“This all happened between 2006 and 2021 and it had taken its toll big time on me, especially when I holding down a full-time occupation as an HGV driver and never at home.

“They welcomed me in and gave me counselling which has helped, and I have also made a lot of good friends there who care.

“They understand and that is what makes it such a special place to support.”

The first jars of honey this year from the Dumfries Veterans Garden bees
The first jars of honey this year from the Dumfries Veterans Garden bees

Big-hearted Dougie is hoping to raise £1,000 for a new bee-keeping initiative, at the facility in the former Crichton nurseries, which will benefit the veterans and visitors in a number of ways.

He has set up an online funding appeal and is urging supporters to dig deep into their pockets so that it can be up and running from next spring.

The cash will be spent on a new honey bee-keeping teaching shed which the veterans plan to kit out to meet their needs.

This will include a safe viewing area where people can watch the bees working for the gardens.

And they are planning a new wildflower garden and will have plants that are beneficial to bees to help their colony.

Some of the veterans will use their bee-keeping skills to tell visitors all about the fascinating winged insects and to help those suffering from PTSD.

Enthusiast Jim Cherry with the Dumfries Veterans Garden productive bee hives
Enthusiast Jim Cherry with the Dumfries Veterans Garden productive bee hives

Dougie said: “One of the veterans, Jim Cherry, is a real expert on bees and it is a joy listening to his passion for them. And he shares this with padre Tom Bonnar.

“I was listening to Jim last year and heard about how they can be therapeutic for those with PTSD – just through their sound and watching them – and realised that they would be a real asset to the garden.

“I knew someone who had some old hives so we went and got them and, after some work, we set them up at the Veterans Garden.”

Generous Dougie, who is known for helping local worthy causes, gifted a new hive and the start up kit to get them going and they were given some bees.

He said: “It has given Jim, Tom, me and the other veterans no end of pleasure listening and watching the bees.

“Then, Jim had an idea recently of a teaching shed so the kids could come and see the bees at work making the honey using a special hive with an acrylic sheet on it so no one would get stung.

“I know having this bee-keeping shed and wildflower garden will make such a difference to many lives and I really hope people support us and we can reach our target quickly.”

Dougie himself has also gifted a new honey separator and jars this year – which he says was “thanks for all they have done to help my mental health and their friendship”.

And he has also spoken out about the help the Veterans Garden has given him personally, after being in a “very dark place”.

He said: “I attend the Dumfries Veterans Gardens on a regular basis.

“I am not a veteran or TA member, RAF or sailor but a Joe Bloggs civilian who went one day to donate a cheque to help the charity and they noticed something was wrong with me and just came out and asked about it.

“The edge and darkness were all there and I was at the point of no turning back.

“They listened at the Veterans Garden and the reason for it just came out.

“To be honest, if it hadn’t been for the garden’s counsellor and the rest of the team I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

To make a donation visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/douglas-smith-41.