D&G Celebration of Friendship

Photos: Mike Bolam

Inspired by the United Nations International Day of Friendship on the 30th July and in recognition of the importance of friendship and kindness in our daily lives.


Running from Monday 28th July 2025, the D&G Celebration of Friendship will be a week-long celebration bringing people together to enjoy coffee, cake and conversations, with inspiring tales of kindness and friendship that we hope will help spark new friendships and be the catalyst for ongoing acts of kindness in Dumfries and Galloway.


The initiative, organised by A Listening Ear is designed to encourage everyone to acknowledge those who have been there for them in their time of need, but more importantly to consider how they could change lives through small acts of kindness and friendship.


With a growing demand for adult befriending services in the region, we are gradually extending our reach throughout Dumfries and Galloway.


As part of our commitment to host the D&G Celebration of Friendship in 2025 we will be


  • holding ‘Friendly Cup’ sessions for the public in North West Castle Stranraer on 29th July and in The Usual Place in Dumfries on 30th July
  • hosting private Friendly Cup sessions in Care Homes in Newton Stewart, Castle Douglas and Annan
  • encouraging others to host their own Friendly Cup events in cafes, community venues, workplaces and care homes
  • inviting everyone to perform some other act of kindness during and/or after D&G Celebration of Friendship


In the lead up to the first D&G Celebration of Friendship in July, the team at A Listening Ear are also delighted to launch the Liz Arkless Award for Friendship.


We hope that individuals, organisations and communities will support the D&G Celebration of Friendship and will continue to make a difference to the lives of others through small acts of kindness and friendship.


Anyone who would like to get involved in the D&G Celebration of Friendship can find out more and register their interest following the links. Events are free to attend, but registration in advance is essential.

Liz Arkless Award for Friendship


As part of the D&G Celebration of Friendship in July 2025, A Listening Ear is proud to launch the new Liz Arkless Award for Friendship.

Liz Arkless was a stalwart in the local community in Wigtownshire until she passed. She would have been a great ambassador of A Listening Ear as she was always there when local people needed a friend. She just wanted to help people and as a tribute to Liz’s selfless commitment to others, her family have kindly donated a Liz Arkless Award for Friendship in the east and west of the region. These awards will be presented during A Listening Ear’s D&G Celebration of Friendship events in Stranraer and Dumfries on the 29th and 30th July 2025.


Nominations are now open for the Liz Arkless Award for Friendship in Dumfries and Galloway.


Nominations:

Members of the public are invited to nominate someone who has performed an outstanding or life changing act of kindness/friendship and who they believe is worthy of a Liz Arkless Award for Friendship.


  • Nominees should have performed the ultimate act of kindness/friendship to make them truly deserving of a Liz Arkless Award for Friendship.
  • It is free to nominate someone for an award.
  • Only one nomination can be submitted per person.
  • It is not possible to nominate yourself for an award.
  • Nominations must be submitted online by 5pm on 30th June 2025.
  • Applicants must be over 18 to submit a nomination, so any young people wishing to nominate someone for an award must be supported by a named adult.
  • Nominees must be over 18 to be considered for an award.
  • There will be two awards presented at the D&G Celebration of Friendship events in Stranraer (29th July) in Dumfries (30th July)


Our thanks to the Arkless family for this kind tribute to our dear friend Liz and for the opportunity to recognise two local people for their outstanding acts of kindness/friendship.


Find out more about Liz Arkless below.

How to get involved

NOMINATE - Liz Arkless Award for Friendship: Submit a nomination for someone who has performed the ultimate act of friendship and that you think is truly deserving of a Liz Arkless Award for Friendship. It is free to enter. Nominations must be submitted online by someone over the age of 18 years by 30th June 2025.

FIND OUT MORE AND NOMINATE

ATTEND - Tuesday 29th July (2pm - 4pm): Join A Listening Ear at North West Castle in Stranraer for a ‘Friendly Cup’ and inspiring tales of friendship. The first Liz Arkless Awards for Friendship will also be presented at this event. Speakers will include; Romano Petrucci MBE, Chair of Stranraer Development Trust, Anne Barclay MBE, Operational Director, Wigtown Festival Company and Pat McEarlean, Wander with Mac and founder trustee of A Listening Ear. Register by 20th July 2025. Open to anyone who has an interest in finding out more about A Listening Ear and adult befriending services in Dumfries & Galloway. 

REGISTER TO ATTEND

ATTEND - Wednesday 30th July (2pm - 4pm): Join A Listening Ear at The Usual Place in Dumfries for a ‘Friendly Cup’ and inspiring tales of friendship. The second Liz Arkless Awards for Friendship will be presented at this event. Speakers will include local storyteller Kathleen Cronie and Andrea Thompson DL, Editor of Dumfries & Galloway Life. We will also hear from colleagues at The Usual Place. Register by 20th July 2025. Open to anyone who has an interest in finding out more about A Listening Ear and adult befriending services in Dumfries & Galloway. 

REGISTER TO ATTEND

HOST YOUR OWN EVENT - wc 28th July: Everyone is invited to get involved in the D&G Celebration of Friendship by hosting their own Friendly Cup or friendship gathering in their home, workplace, community group or club. Hosts should let A Listening Ear know about their plans if they would like to be added to the list of supporters. Register as a host by 20th July 2025. Hosts are also invited to post details and/or photo(s) of their event on A Listening Ear’s social media channels during the week.

REGISTER TO HOST YOUR OWN EVENT

PERFORM AN ACT OF KINDNESS - wc. 28th July: Anyone can get involved in the D&G Celebration of Friendship by performing a simple act of kindness such as sending a card, making a telephone call, inviting someone to go out for a coffee or a walk. Participants or recipients can let A Listening Ear know if they would like to share details of the act of kindness and they will be added to the list of supporters. Email and let us know about your act of kindness by 20th July 2025. Participants can also post details and/or photo(s) on A Listening Ear’s social media channels during the week.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR ACT OF KINDNESS

MAKE A PLEDGE - wc. 28th July: Friendship and kindness must continue well after the D&G Celebration of Friendship and it doesn’t need to be declared publicly, but anyone who would like to make a public, private or anonymous pledge to commit to an act of kindness beyond the D&G Celebration of Friendship, is invited to write down their pledge and pop it into a Friendship Jar. This can be any jar or one of the jars available during the D&G Celebration of Friendship. Examples of pledges made during the week will be anonymised and shared publicly to inspire others. Ideas might include becoming a volunteer befriender, visiting a neighbour more often, arranging a social gathering of friends or colleagues, introducing someone to befriending services, making more regular calls to friends or family or visiting a friend in a care home.

COMMIT TO A FUTURE ACT OF KINDNESS BY PLACING A NOTE IN A FRIENDSHIP JAR

MAKE A DONATION:  If you would like to make a financial donation to support the work of A Listening Ear this can be done at our events or online at any time of year.

About Liz Arkless

Liz Arkless  was a local Stranraer lassie who was well known as a hard working very successful business woman. The centre of her universe was her husband, three children and her much loved grandchildren.


Liz was also a woman who performed amazing acts of kindness and friendship across her local community quietly, under the radar of public notice or recognition.  


Whenever she became aware of a local person having a cancer diagnosis she would reach out to them, gently, with respect and offer to use her car, time and at her personal expense to drive them to treatment appointments.  Living in the west of the region for cancer patients means many miles and hours of travel to access treatment, Liz knew this and wanted to help.  Cancer treatment centres are based in Dumfries, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Liz is known to have said that she could offer practical help for people with cancer because she had a car, the time and money and she didn’t see why not!  She must have travelled many hundreds of miles, and probably never knew how her kindness and friendship relieved so much stress and worry for people going through treatment. 


Liz was warm, funny , kind and down to earth which put people at ease, she would open her home to those who needed a place to stay and offered a job to those whom our local community turned their backs on.


Liz Arkless didn’t just talk about what she wished she could do to help people she just did it and made a big difference to the lives of the people she touched.

A word from our Chair


Penny Halliday, Chair of A Listening Ear and the driving force behind the project said:


“We all need friends in our lives, and at some times more than others. Some of us can recall occasions when our friends really stepped up to help us through a difficult time or situation, but knowing you have a friend on a day-to-day basis is equally important.


As a charity run by a fantastic team of staff, trustees and volunteer befrienders, we reach out to those who need a friend, whether a regular call from a telephone befriender, someone to go for a walk with, a friendly face to visit them in a care home or somewhere to go and meet for a coffee. These small acts of kindness make a big difference and it’s rewarding too.


Hosting the D&G Celebration of Friendship this year is an opportunity to celebrate the friendships we have formed, but more importantly to reach out to everyone in Dumfries and Galloway; those who have friendships to celebrate, those who want to become a volunteer befriender, those who want to access our befriending services and those who know someone who might benefit from an introduction to A Listening Ear. Everyone is invited to get involved in the D&G Celebration of Friendship and we hope it will have a positive impact in communities across the region.


We encourage anyone who would like to come along to one of our Friendly Cup events in Stranraer or Dumfries to register online. Alternatively, we would love to see organisations, clubs and individuals hosting their own ‘Friendly Cup’ gatherings throughout the week too. There are many other ways to get involved including a simple act of kindness that will brighten someone’s day. This could be sending a card, calling a friend, inviting someone to go for a coffee or a walk - the opportunities are endless. If nothing else, we would encourage others to consider referring themselves or others to our befriending service or to register as a volunteer befriender – once trained, this could mean committing to as little as one telephone call or catch-up per week. These small acts of kindness can make a big difference to others.”


Talking about the new Liz Arkless Awards Penny said:


“Liz Arkless was a stalwart in the local community in Wigtownshire until she passed away. We know she would have been a great ambassador of A Listening Ear - she was always there when local people needed a friend. She just wanted to help people. Liz’s family would like to pay tribute to her selfless commitment to others by donating two Liz Arkless awards on 2025. These awards will be presented during the D&G Celebration of Friendship events in Stranraer and Dumfries at the end of July. Members of the public are invited to nominate someone who has performed an outstanding or life changing act of kindness/friendship and who they believe is worthy of a Liz Arkless Award for Friendship. We are grateful to the Arkless family for this kind tribute and for their ongoing support.”


Penny added:


“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who is supporting A Listening Ear and the D&G Celebration of Friendship, we are truly grateful, thank you.”