Music tour launched to combat loneliness and food poverty
A new free tour designed to tackle loneliness and food poverty will hit the road this October, bringing local people together in Newton Stewart through live music, shared meals and social connection.
The Galloway Gathering Tour, organised by Scotland’s leading cheddar brand Galloway Cheddar will also visit Garve in the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, and Forth Valley.
At each stop, attendees will enjoy a live performance from acclaimed musician Anna Massie – a multi-instrumentalist and presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s award-winning Travelling Folk – alongside hearty, cheesy meals made using Galloway Cheddar.
The tour is part of the wider Galloway Gathering Project, a charitable partnership between the cheddar brand and food redistribution charity FareShare, which has so far this year seen the equivalent of 90,000 meals donated by Galloway Cheddar to those in need across Scotland.
Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, Marketing Director at Lactalis UK & Ireland, said: “Since the Galloway Gathering Project began, it has grown each year, reaching more people and providing real value to those who need it most. With the tour, we hope to connect with even more communities across Scotland, creating memorable moments through music, shared experiences and great food.
“Galloway Cheddar has long been rooted in Scotland’s communities and this tour is a natural extension of that. We look forward to welcoming people to come together for a good cause.”
The tour is set to take place on the following days:
- 1st October 2025 - Garve Village Hall (Garve) from 5 to 7pm
- 2 October 2025 - Midmar Hall (Inverurie/Aberdeenshire) from 4 to 6pm
- 3 October 2025 - Thornhill Community Hall (Stirling) from 4 to 6pm
- 11 October - The Vault Arts Centre (Newton Stewart) from 5 to 7pm
Musician, Anna Massie said:
“The Galloway Gathering Tour combines some of the very best things in life: company, craic and cheese! I’m so happy to be involved in this project which will bring folk together in their communities and let them share food and music with their friends and neighbours as the nights draw in.”
All tickets are free available to reserve via Eventbrite. At each Galloway Gathering Tour, there will be an option to donate to FareShare.
As part of the campaign, 800kg of Galloway Cheddar is being donated to FareShare’s network of charity partners in Scotland, and Scottish National Chef and MasterChef: The Professionals winner Gary Maclean is hosting two cooking events in Dundee, preparing comforting Mac n’ Cheese dishes to be distributed to local charities. On top of that, food trucks have been getting involved to host takeover days, using Galloway Cheddar to make cheesy meals and raising money for the cause.
For tickets and further information visit https://www.eventbrite.com/o/galloway-cheddar-115617328431
To learn more about this year’s campaign visit https://www.gallowaycheddar.co.uk/ or to donate visit FareShare’s website www.fareshare.org.uk.
To donate to the Galloway Gathering Project, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/gallowaygatheringproject2025