Overgate, Dundee is delighted to announce it has been named Best Community Shopping Destination - East of Scotland 2022 by the prestigious Scottish Enterprise Awards.
The award recognises the centre’s commitment to the local community, and the strength of its inspirational campaigns which are creating real and lasting value for Dundee.
Judges deemed Overgate should be the recipient of the top honour in recognition of its tranche of community campaigns, which include:
NEoN Digital Art Festival - in November 2021, Overgate supported the NEoN Digital Art Festival by giving space in GATHER to artist Camille Baker to exhibit her Inter/Her exhibition which was created after her battle with ovarian cancer. The exhibition educated visitors about the female body and through the use of a VR headset, visitors went on a journey inside the female body to get an insight in to the reproductive system. A haptic corset provided a powerful sensory element and visitors got the chance to talk face-to-face with Camille.
Central Baptist Church - in December 2021, Overgate partnered with the Central Baptist Church to host free story telling sessions for children in GATHER each Sunday in December. Children were gifted a book to take home, with over 300 story books distributed.
Dundee Music Walk of Fame – in January 2022, Overgate gifted prime location land within William Gardiner Square to the Dundee Music History group to install their ‘Walk of Fame’ trail. Inscribed slabs honouring legendary people and places from Dundee’s music scene down the decades were installed and the space is now used by local buskers to perform.
Women’s Business Station – in February 2022, Overgate gave the organisation a home in GATHER to deliver its Aspiring Woman’s Programme; 147 women from 24 countries attended the three-month course where they developed enterprise skills and made connections in Dundee and the local region.
Overgate Ukrainian Drive - in March 2022, using GATHER, Overgate ran a donation drive in aid of Ukrainian refugees. Over £15,000 worth of essential items were collected in one week including food, medical and hygiene essentials, plus camping equipment. Overgate coordinated the drive with local volunteers and the British Red Cross.
Overgate Market - in April 2022, a review highlighted the success and positive business impact of Overgate’s Market initiative, with all micro traders and local independent brands reporting revenue growth. Traders attributed this directly to the high footfall, prime location exposure offered by Overgate.
Duncan of Jordanstone Art and Design College - also in April 2022, Gather was used to support local art and design students to exhibit their work and make it accessible to the public. Two exhibitions ran in partnership with Duncan of Jordanstone Art and Design College for a period of four weeks. Students were on site daily to interact with customers and talk about their work, with selected pieces available for sale.
The Dundee Tapestry Project - in June 2022, Overgate supported The Dundee Tapestry Project by hosting a weekend event in Gather. A tapestry depicting stories of Dundee’s history was put on show and a Stitch and Story Day created a space for the public to get involved and share their tales of Dundee across the years.
Overgate’s Eden Project Big Lunch - also in June 2022, Overgate partnered with a number of local organisations to deliver Overgate’s Eden Project Big Lunch. Bonnie Dundee, Uppertunity, Freya’s Wish, CommuniTAY and The Launch Pad all came together with Overgate to deliver the family fun day with free activities, and a free packed lunch to ensure no one was left out.
Archie & Wullie’s Braw Bucket Bash - in July 2022, Overgate partnered with The Archie Foundation and Dundee City Council to deliver Archie & Wullie’s Braw Bucket Bash in Gather. For 10 days Overgate welcomed 6,000 guests to Gather to view a number of amazing Oor Wullie sculptures that were part of the original Bucket Trail. Comic-themed workshops and talks, and a comic artwork exhibition also took place and donations were welcomed for The Archie Foundation.
Hillcrest Futures - throughout 2022, Overgate’s partnership with Hillcrest Futures has allowed almost 200 members of the public to be trained in administering Naloxone. Peer volunteers and former service users were among the team who delivered the training and Overgate was the only shopping centre nationally to deliver this via GATHER. Within the first couple of weeks, one of Overgate’s Security Guards who had received the training, put it to use with one of the centre’s guests and successfully reversed the effects of an overdose
Speaking about the recognition, Malcolm Angus, Centre Manager of Overgate says:
“This is a hugely gratifying accolade for Overgate. Our team, led by Metta Ramsay, has worked tirelessly to strengthen Overgate’s community focus in recent times and to create campaigns which deliver real and lasting benefit to a number of local individuals, groups and organisations.
“To have been named Best Community Shopping Destination is a tremendous honour and we would like to thank the judging panel at the prestigious Scottish Enterprise Awards for recognising the hard work of our talented team who are behind such inspirational campaigns.
“Overgate appreciates and recognises its position at the heart of the community and we all look forward to continuing our focus on bringing positive impact to Dundee.”
Overgate Dundee (Scot) (Freehold Co) Ltd
The Overgate Centre, Dundee is owned and managed by Legal & General, the largest commercial property company in the UK.
