The place to meet and grow together.

Zoom is great, we’ve been able to hold virtual meetings from the safety and comfort of our own homes and for the first time ever we’ve been able to attend meetings in our slippers! Great it may be and we are sure Zoom and Teams will continue to connect us with others across the globe even after the restrictions ease, but how many of you are as desperate as we are to put shoes on and meet with colleagues face to face again?

Throughout this pandemic we have heard others referring to life in our post-pandemic world as our new normal, so even when we do get out and about again, things will be very different and we think you’re going to love the difference we’ve made to Crichton Central here at The Crichton in Dumfries.

For those of you who know The Crichton, you will most likely know Criffel View as the former Children’s psychiatric ward or more recently as Fresco Cafe where you nipped out to pick up a sandwich during your lunchbreak before we knew anything about Covid-19. You may also have known about our plans to transform the building into a new coworking and collaboration space, but while most of us have been furloughed or working for home for the best part of a year now, our property team and a team of highly skilled contractors have been busy working when they can to transform the building for us. We can’t wait to see your reaction.

What was a very dated and under utilised building on the estate is undergoing a huge transformation to make it a bright, airy and welcoming space. If we have our way, Crichton Central will become the go-to place in Dumfries for those looking to hire a meeting room or for anyone looking for a quiet space to work or a sociable space to network.

How many of you can remember where you attended your last meeting before lockdown? Was it in your own place of work, in a hotel lounge or in a busy high street cafe or visitor centre? Did you have the peace and quiet you needed? Did you have a great cup of coffee or a freshly made sandwich or bowl of soup? Was it free and easy to park and could you easily nip out for a walk through the surrounding countryside and landscaped gardens? Were you inspired to be creative and did you have the technology and high-speed wi-fi you needed to conduct your meeting? Could you pop next door afterwards and meet a friend of colleague for a coffee without leaving the building or getting a parking ticket? Could you choose to sit inside or outside and were you made welcome by the friendly front of house team? Did you feel part of the community?

We hope you had a positive experience and that your memories or your last meeting were memorable for the right reasons, but we also want to encourage you to become an active member of our growing Crichton Community where together we can address the challenges of our post pandemic world and instill confidence in each others ability to build back better. We want to provide you with the services and facilities you need to carry out your role, but more than anything else, we want you to feel part of The Crichton Community and a valued member or visitor to Crichton Central whether you meet here regularly or occasionally.

Here you can see how our meeting rooms have evolved in recent months and we look forward to seeing what can be achieved when we get together in these new spaces in 2021 and beyond.

We are biased, but where else will you find a place to meet that is surrounded by 85 acres of landscaped grounds and gardens, with free parking, bicycle racks, electric charging points, an on-site hotel for overnight stays, one of the largest conference venues in the South of Scotland, an onsite bistro, bar and spa, a business park with offices to rent, a multi-institution academic campus to study and learn, a new coworking and collaboration space with a cafe, meeting rooms, members lounge, shop, changing places toilet and shower room, a fully equipped events space and a culture for inspiring others? We have a history of protecting the wellbeing of our people and whether you are a student, a researcher, a charity, a new business or a growing business we would love you to be part of our Crichton Central network where people, businesses and opportunities grow together.

You may want a return to normal, but we would encourage you to join us in shaping our new normal and doing things differently. Let’s strive for a better normal and lets work together to change things for the better.

If you want to be part of our growing network of collaborators and changemakers at The Crichton, start by signing up to our online newsletter* and you’ll be one of the first to know when we open our doors and when we have new opportunities to connect and collaborate.

*Register via the newsletter link in the footer of this website.