Jack Finlay, 28, Kirkcudbright on his favourite things about Dumfries & Galloway

What do you love about Dumfries & Galloway? Our coast. I’d encourage everyone to visit as many places around our coastline as they can. It’s steeped in history and rugged beauty. Try Knockbrex beach, Portpatrick, the Mull of Galloway or Kirkcudbright.

What’s the best thing about Kirkcudbright? The people. The folk here are rare, fair and down to earth. They can give stick and take stick. You don’t have to go far to find someone willing to help you. Sometimes you don’t even have to tell them what you need help with. We’re lucky to live in a place where your community actually looks out for one another.

Tell us about your job: I spent a number of years in film and TV in the locations department, working on productions including His Dark Materials, Time, Sandman, Munich: The Edge of War, and Outlander. Our department would create the logistical bridge to get a whole film crew from a studio environment, into a wild environment; taking the production to mountains, beaches, cities, forests and hard to reach places. We’re fixers and hard grafters. We just make it work.

I now live and work in Kirkcudbright where I’m working to transform the former creamery site into a bustling business and industry hub. I also run KBT Storage and a groundworks business with my own digger, J F Groundworks and I am on the crew of Kirkcudbright RNLI. I like a varied life.

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met? Stuntman Ricky English. I met him on The Batman and Marvel: Secret Invasion, both of which were filmed in Liverpool. Ricky’s the one who rides the Bat Bike, among other dangerously fun things. He is really humble, incredibly talented, and represents the hidden world: the illusion and mystique of the film industry. You see the lead actors on the screen, but there’s this whole world of talent behind the camera. Do give the credits their due at the end of a movie or TV series. You’ll be surprised at just how many blockbusters people like Ricky English have been in.

What’s your ambition? Running the Kirkcudbright Creamery has been a big challenge. It’s such a historic piece of land and is so important to the town. My ambition is to turn it into a business and industry site, supporting new jobs, business diversification and to build a state-of-the art gym facility, to encourage local health and wellbeing.

Sites like the Kirkcudbright Creamery could make rural towns like Kirkcudbright more appealing to young people to live, work or start a business here.

What do you do to unwind? Go straight out to sea! I have a wee boat on the marina. Nothing beats flying up the river on a calm day, when the water’s like glass. If there’s mackerel involved or a lobster, even better.

Where do you recommend for great entertainment in the region? Big Burns Supper 2025.

Where do you recommend for a good bite to eat? Where else would ‘Captain Jack’ eat, but at the Skippers Scran Van at the harbour in Kirkcudbright? Try everything.

Tell us something that not many people know about you: I once played small part in the new TV series of the Ipcress Files. I was an American airman hostage. The scene made the cutting room floor.

What would you change about D&G? Image branding. Kirkcudbright has recently been branded as a lovely retirement town. I hate hearing it described that way. We don’t make it sound appealing for young people. Our local authority needs to be more supportive of young people starting new local business ventures.

Dumfries & Galloway in a single word: BRAW!