Newton Stewart Initiative is a locally owned and led charity, working to regenerate Newton Stewart. Vibe 75 was a former café on Victoria Street, which would have been left empty were it not for the kindness of the owners who wanted to see the building put to good use. The building has been leased to NSI for use as a community hub. Now, NSI is calling on the community to have their say on what should happen next at Vibe 75.
Over the last two years, NSI has been building up the ground floor of Vibe 75 as a community hub – filling the gap left when the town’s old Community Centre was closed. Vibe 75 now hosts regular carless boot sales and pop-up markets, as well as a range of community activities from reminiscence groups to a youth darts club.
The vision for Vibe 75 is for the ground floor of Vibe 75 to grow as a thriving community hub, but also to use the upper floor as a dedicated space for youth work. This would be run by NSI’s youth work team and DG Youthwork, with regular youth activities and a space for young people to socialise and learn new skills.
Vibe 75 was leased to NSI on the basis that NSI would seek funding to purchase the building and take it into community ownership. NSI has already had a CAT Stage 2 approved for the Clock Tower across the street from Vibe 75 and is currently waiting on the lease agreement to be approved and signed. This will act as a community information hub for the town. Community ownership of these core buildings can place local people in control of the town’s future and build momentum for further improvement of the town centre.
NSI is calling on the community to have their say on the future of Vibe 75 – to give feedback on the proposals for how the building could be used, and whether it should be taken into community ownership. People in Newton Stewart and the Cree Valley can share their views by:
- Filling in a community survey. Paper copies can be picked up and dropped off at Vibe 75 itself, or at the NSI Community Shop on Dashwood Square. The survey can also be completed online at https://bit.ly/nsvibe75.
- Coming along to Vibe 75 on 6 November 2025 for a Quiz Night – starting at 7pm. This is a chance to visit Vibe 75, test your knowledge, and tell us what should happen with the building in future!
David Inglis, the NSI Chair, said:
“It’s important to the work of Newton Stewart Initiative that we listen to our community, capture their ideas and try to implement them across our projects where we can. Buildings like ‘The Vibe’, as it’s becoming known, are an integral part of our town centre offering. By taking it into community ownership we can develop it into a town centre community hub for use by all groups, including a dedicated Youth Hub to give our children ‘their space’. I hope everyone will recognise the importance of this project to the town and would urge them to take part in the consultation process to help us deliver it.”
NSI’s Youth Work Coordinator Matthew Robinson said
“Another dedicated Youth Space would give an additional safe place for Young people in the area and offer them increased opportunities to gain new experiences and the opportunity to develop and gain new skills. This additional space would also provide young people with more positive experiences helping to increase their social and community engagement.”
Please take the survey today and give your feedback at https://bit.ly/nsvibe75.