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Renfrewshire Community Planning Conference 2016
Opportunities for our Communities: Paisley’s Bid for UK City of Culture 2021
Themes identified from Ketso Session, 9th
May 2016, 5.30pm – 8.30pm,
Paisley Town Hall
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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 3
1. Key Priorities ................................................................................................................................................ 4
2. Potential benefits of winning UK City of Culture bid ............................................................................................... 5
3. Challenges in making a successful bid and how to overcome those challenges ................................................... 12
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Introduction
Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership has organising larger-scale community planning conferences throughout 2016. On 9th May 2016 from 5.30pm – 8.30pm “Paisley’s Bid for UK City of Culture in 2021” took place. The event took place in the Paisley Town Hall, Abby Close, Renfrewshire. The event was well attended with over 90 people participating at the event, indicating a high level of interest and enthusiasm from community groups and voluntary organisations for the bid. The conference delegates heard about the opportunities that the Paisley bid will offer across Renfrewshire and took part in discussion groups and workshops. Speakers during the evening session of the event included:
Jean Cameron, Bid Director
Alan McNiven, Engage Renfrewshire
Alan Clark, CREATE Paisley
Tommy McGrory, Loud n Proud
In the second half of the event, delegates were provided with an opportunity to help influence Paisley’s bid by taking part in a ‘Ketso’ workshop. Ketso is a hands-on kit for creative engagement that enables people to think and work better together as a group. Each of the workshop group went through a series of stages to gather ideas and perspectives regarding the benefits and challenges of bidding and winning the UK City of Culture mapped against our community planning themes and priorities. In this report you will be able to find the results of the workshop session. In this report you will find the workshop results and the recurring issues identified by the workshop groups across each Community Planning Theme.
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1. Key Priorities
Use culture as a catalyst to improve the Renfrewshire economy including attracting
more tourists and increase visitor expenditure, increase employment opportunities
and accelerate community regeneration.
Create Youth Arts Hub for young people
Encourage more interaction between generations and groups
Encourage people to come into Paisley by making it safer and more attractive for
visitors, particularly the High Street.
Improve residents perception of Paisley
Harness the enthusiasm for the bid and willingness of individuals and organisations
to get involved
Make Renfrewshire and Paisley more accessible for all by improving parking and
public transport. In addition, make young people feel safer whilst travelling in and
around Renfrewshire.
Raise awareness of the bid and increase communication, creative engagement and
involvement with Renfrewshire communities, particularly with our most vulnerable
and disengaged residents
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2. Potential benefits of winning UK City of Culture bid
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We asked: “What will the benefits be of winning UK City of Culture?”
You said:
A Safer and Stronger
Renfrewshire
Bringing communities together and creating a greater community feel by breaking down demographic barriers and divides.
Creating a bigger name nationally and internationally by regenerating the town and making it more secure for Renfrewshire’s communities.
Increase in the number of activities for young people.
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We asked: “What will the benefits be of winning UK City of Culture?”
You said:
A Greener
Renfrewshire
Creating more beautiful and cleaner county, town and High Street by encouraging Renfrewshire communities to recycle waste.
Support schools and communities to develop gardening projects and regenerate gap sites which have been neglected.
Showcasing existing beautiful Renfrewshire green areas and potentially building a new Paisley Park.
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We asked: “What will the benefits be of winning UK City of Culture?”
You said:
Empowering
Communities
Improve Paisley’s image and restore pride in the area in order to make Paisley an attractive place to live, work and study.
Increase community participation by bringing people together from different areas of life to back the bid and get involved in cultural projects.
Create world class opportunities, including volunteering in the area for music, arts and cultural projects
Informing communities about the bid through local events and activities
Establishing lasting arts scene in Paisley and exposure for local artists
Valuing Renfrewshire’s heritage and raising profile of the thread mills.
Realising Renfrewshire’s challenges and providing solutions
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We asked: “What will the benefits be of winning UK City of Culture?”
You said:
Jobs and the
Economy
• Regenerating Renfrewshire’s economy by attracting investment, supporting local businesses and creating more job opportunities especially within creative sector.
• Improving Renfrewshire’s night time economy.
• Increasing tourism and footfall.
• An enabled for improving partnerships between the private, public and third sectors e.g. encouraging local businesses to encourage staff to volunteer in creative and fun projects.
• Creating a sense of identity for Paisley and pride for Renfrewshire by raising its profile nationally and internationally.
• Provision of additional free parking and improved public transport.
•
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We asked: “What will the benefits be of winning UK City of Culture?”
You said:
Community Care, Health
and Wellbeing
Improved health and mental wellbeing as a result of tackling poverty, getting people more active and supporting cross generational projects.
Increased awareness of the wellbeing benefits through participating in the arts.
Inspire positive feelings about community and feeling part of the bid.
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We asked: “What will the benefits be of winning UK City of Culture?”
You said:
Children and Young
people
Raise awareness and create opportunities including volunteering and employment opportunities for young talent.
Create a youth and arts hub where youth programmes can run and the voices of young people can be heard.
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3. Challenges in making a successful bid and how to
overcome those challenges
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3.1 A Safer and Stronger Renfrewshire
Challenges Solutions
People do not feel safe when going
out at night
Good community cohesion
Making surrounding areas safe
Teaching children and young people how to stay safe and include parents
Increase in safer zones and policing
Public Transport Safer transport including late night buses and trains
Reputation Funding for our most disadvantaged areas
Talk to people in places where they are (outreach)
Resources Increase Police presence
Tackling the perception of anti-
social behaviour /Tackling Alcohol
misuse
More youth/diversionary initiatives
Intergenerational projects
Derelict Property Undertake lobbying of absent landlords
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3.2 Greener Renfrewshire
Challenges Solutions
Keeping Renfrewshire clean and
increasing environmental
awareness
Involve communities and showcase local environmental projects
Encourage people to be proud of their area and look after their own town
Involve Renfrewshire schools
Arrange community clean up parties with 2021 t-shirts
River clean ups
Restore, repair and upgrade old, derelict buildings
Making the bid sustainable and
ensuring that other parts and
villages feel the part of the bid
Welcome to Paisley signs outside e.g. Paisley Gilmour street
Improved transport links Paisley cycling and networks
Improved bus service
Abandoned premises and disused
land
Community programmes and activities
Create public parks
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3.3 Empowering Communities Challenges Solutions
Challenging bad reputation of the town
and changing people’s perceptions about
the bid
Organise events that will inspire local communities
Share local positive stories
Electing familiar faces as bid ambassadors
Engaging and involving all
representatives of Renfrewshire
communities from different age groups
Demonstrating how winning the bid and bidding for UK City of Culture is a united cause and would benefit the whole
of Renfrewshire
Facilitate conversation widely by organising road show and informational bid events in other Renfrewshire towns and
villages
Give people sense of pride and inclusion in the area
Creating Paisley 2021 application
Build on current engagement and feedback in order to improve future engagement process
Inform all parties about upcoming meetings
Coordinating events
Recognise and value ambassadors
Break stigma between generations
All of Renfrewshire working together
including private, public and third sector
Develop a central resource which lists all organisations, what they do, what projects they would like to get involved in
and what type of resource/skill they need to help them complete or run their project or ensure collaboration.
All Renfrewshire councils working together
Improved communication within
Renfrewshire Publicise local bid champions and the bid
Communication from different Renfrewshire’s areas about the bid and what bidding means for Paisley and Renfrewshire
More responsive approach in contacting the public including better use of community councils
Wider publicity through more mediums (e.g. social media, posters, etc.)
Using more social media strategy
Increase scale of advertising
Resource limitations (e.g. staffing,
financial) Create volunteering opportunities
Using Renfrewshire’s assets
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3.4 Jobs and the Economy Challenges Solutions
Infrastructure to support the expected
increase in visitors
Visitor information centre application
Create a healthy and thriving night time economy
Organise small scale events prior to 2021
Asses venue suitability for use in Renfrewshire
Parking Increase free parking provision
Financial assistance and funding for
projects
Provide details of funding and grant opportunities
Improve timescales and focus for local funding opportunities
Secure funding for community groups
Improve promotion of funding opportunities
Competitors Using peoples voice to promote the bid
Emphasize scale of opportunity the bid can bring
Increase the promotion of Paisley at Glasgow Airport
Celebrity endorsements
Lack of thriving business sector,
depressing high street
Provide business incentives for new opportunities
Pop up shops
More support for local creative businesses
Create permanent jobs with no zero hours contracts
Changing people’s perceptions and
make the bid inclusive
Involve general population ensure that everyone is seen as equal
Make visible improvements to the town
Highlight the success of Derry~London Derry
Supporting and acknowledging faith based organisations
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3.5 Community Care Health and Wellbeing
Challenges Solutions
Increase levels of health and
wellbeing
Provide good employment opportunities
Improve communication and
engagement with Renfrewshire
villages
Road show events
Use variety of communication channels e.g. phones, social media, large advertising on unused town
buildings, let communities organise events
Consistency Make effective use of people who are engaged with services
Increase quality communication
Create a list of community groups to promote unity
Increase cultural activities for people with mental health issues
Showcasing benefits to young people
Approach the disadvantaged communities
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3.6 Children and Young people
Challenges Solutions
Creative and affordable activities for
young people
Free or discounted events
Engaging all communities, arts
groups, young people e.g. students,
international groups, refugees and
changing attitudes and perceptions
by motivating Renfrewshire
communities about what is
happening in the area
Wifi hub for young people
Backing the bid in new creative ways
Engaging with all young people, not just those who are in the groups and already engaged
Organising Family events
Effective communication strategy
Develop inclusive and exciting projects
Moving from competition mindset to working together in partnership
Provide funding for the young
people that struggle
Low cost or subsidised facilities
Giving young people a sense of
pride in their town and history
Bid team visiting schools and holding information sessions regularly
Improve transport to Paisley from
other areas of Renfrewshire
Organise a bus service for young people from outer areas in order to take them to local events