Linlithgow’s membership application was unanimously approved at a meeting of Cittaslow UK in Birmingham on Saturday 31 May.

This successful outcome marks the climax of over six months of hard work by local organisations, businesses and individuals. As part of the membership application process, we had to demonstrate our Cittaslow credentials in over 50 different areas and as noted in previous posts were visited by independent assessors from Cittaslow UK.

Celebrating this landmark achievement, Phil Murray, the Chair of the Cittaslow Linlithgow Steering Group, said,

“Becoming a Cittaslow town is a great achievement for Linlithgow and we now join a network of like minded towns that stretches across the world from Poland to Australia and from Norway to South Korea.

This is a great day for everyone who has helped to drive forward our membership application. A lot of people put a lot of hard work into securing Cittaslow membership. This really has been a community effort involving people of all ages from all walks of life in Linlithgow.

Personally, I would like to thank all my fellow Steering Group members for their enthusiasm and dedication over the past six months, as well as West Lothian Council and Scottish Enterprise who supported our application in so many ways. I must also thank all the individuals and businesses who helped make the visit by the Cittaslow UK assessors so successful. They range from the children of Linlithgow Bridge Primary School to our local councillors, MPs and MSPs. Everyone played an important part in Linlithgow becoming Cittaslow.”

Looking forward, Phil commented,

“Of course, joining the Cittaslow network is just one of the first phases of Linlithgow’s Cittaslow journey. We hope that Cittaslow status will act as a catalyst for new initiatives and renewed activities to make Linlithgow an even better place to live, work and visit. We look forward to working with the other Cittaslow towns in the UK and overseas to maximise the benefits that Linlithgow generates from its Cittaslow membership.”

Of course there is more to do now that we have cittaslow status, please log in for more information once it becomes available!

Thanks

Michael

CITTASLOW ASSESSMENT DAY IN LINLITHGOW

The sun shone, the birds sang and Linlithgow looked at its best as Graeme Kidd and John Fleming from Cittaslow UK visited the town to assess if it was ready to join the international Cittaslow network.

On what was a very successful day when everything seemed to go to plan, there were three main things that stood out for me.

First was the visit to the eco-school project at Linlithgow Bridge Primary School where frighteningly enthusiastic, knowledgeable and self-confident pupils welcomed us and showed us around all the different areas of their school where they are involved in environmental projects. It was great to see such a wide and impressive range of projects and I’m sure I wasn’t that self-confident at that age!

Second was the very real interest in Cittaslow expressed by all the local businesses we met on the day. It was very evident that Steering Group members have been very active in spreading the word amongst local retailers and other businesses and that there is genuine community support for Linlithgow becoming a Cittaslow town.

Third was the impressive turnout of local and national politicians during the day to welcome the Cittaslow assessors. I know that Graeme and John were somewhat stunned to meet the Provost of West Lothian, all local councillors for Linlithgow, the past and current local MP, and the two local MSPs all in one day. They were amazed to find themselves discussing Scottish food and education policies with a government minister. Everyone’s involvement demonstrated how much support there is for Linlithgow’s Cittaslow membership application at the highest levels.

Thanks are due to everyone who helped to make the day such a success. Now it’s fingers crossed for a successful outcome that will see Linlithgow becoming the 8th Cittaslow town in the UK and the 2nd in Scotland.

Douglas Ritchie

Cittaslow Linlithgow Project Manager

Cittaslow is a membership organisation that only towns and cities with a population of less than 50,000 people are eligible to join. Individuals can’t join Cittaslow in the way that they can join the Slow Food movement.

Cittaslow provides a set of goals and aspirations for towns and cities based on the following principles -

• Encouraging diversity rather than standardisation.
• Supporting and encouraging local culture and traditions.
• Working for a more sustainable environment.
• Supporting and encouraging local produce and local products.
• Encouraging healthy living especially through children and young people.
• Working with the local community to build these values.

Put together, these principles aim to enhance the quality of life in Cittaslow towns for residents and visitors alike.

Cittaslow is not anti-progress. It aims to intelligently apply cutting edge solutions in communications, transport, hospitality, consumption, commerce and administration to find new ways of improving people’s lives in a sustainable manner.

Every town that applies to join Cittaslow is assessed against over 60 different criteria that are grouped under 6 main headings.

1. Environment policies.
2. Infrastructure policies.
3. Enhancing the quality of the urban fabric.
4. Celebrating and promoting local produce and local products.
5. Hospitality & Community.
6. Communicating awareness and understanding of Cittaslow

To become a member of Cittaslow, a town must demonstrate that it is meets at least half of the 60 criteria and is actively working towards meeting the rest. After becoming a member, Cittaslow towns are re-assessed at regular intervals to ensure that they are continuing to uphold Cittaslow principles and are still working to improve their quality of life.

There are now 7 Cittaslow towns in the UK. We hope Linlithgow will shortly become the 8th.

Cittaslow Linlithgow Steering Group is gearing up for a crucial day in their schedule, with Cittaslow UK having confirmed that they will be carrying out an official Assessment Visit to Linlithgow on Friday May 9th

After overnighting at a local B+B, the Assessors will receive a series of short presentations from members of the Steering Group outlining how their respective organisations relate to the Cittaslow initiative. This will be followed by a High St walkabout in which the Assessors will meeet with various independent retailers, and will be shown some of the key heritage assets of Linlithgow. The Linlithgow Slowfood Convivium will be organising a Slowfood buffet lunch to which key supporters of the local initiative will be invited.In the afternoon the Assessors will be taken to a variety of locations in and around Linlithgow where particular Cittaslow- relevant projects are under way. Finally, The Assessors will conduct a discussion with Steering Group members about specific issues arising from the formal submission documents. To round off the day key participants will gather in a rather less formal atmosphere in a local hostelry to review the day’s proceedings, and hopefully convince the Assessment team of the merits of Linlithgow’s bid.

The Steering Group has made very significant progress since being established in August 2007. Hard work and committment on the part of all participants, including West Lothian Council,Linlithgow Business Association, Linlithgow Pride and Passion,Linlithgow Slow Food Convivium and many others has got the initiative to this critical stage, and I am confident that all the preparations will pay off on the day

Phil Murray

Chair

Cittaslow Linlithgow Steering Group

What is Cittaslow?

Cittaslow (Italian for “slow town”) is a network of over 100 towns worldwide that brings people together to improve the quality of life in their town and to share good ideas, experience and knowledge.

Cittaslow grew out of the Slow Food movement and seeks to raise awareness of the ways in which quality of life can be enhanced by good food; excellent hospitality; the protection and improvement of the environment and the promotion of local producers and traditional production methods.

The original manifesto for Cittaslow states:

“We are looking for towns brought to life by people who make time to enjoy a quality of life; towns blessed with quality public spaces, theatres, shops, cafés, inns, historic buildings and unspoiled landscapes; towns where healthy eating, healthy living and enjoying life are central to the community.”

Put simply, a Cittaslow town is a good place to live and a good place to visit.

Please download the Cittaslow Charter for more information.