5th November Fireworks: The Love Local Awards at the Scottish Parliament
On the 5th November fireworks and celebrations will be the order of the day, even if for most people the origins of ‘Bonfire Night’ and the reasons for celebration are lost in the mists of time. But for Scotland’s Towns Partnership and Scotland Loves Local there is a more recent and more immediate cause for celebration; a Scottish Parliamentary recognition of Scotland Loves Local and this year’s Scotland’s Loves Local Awards. Born in the depths of Covid, and now 5 years old, Scotland Loves Local is one of the ways we can strengthen communities and build local resilience. Many places and people have embraced this.
The parliamentary celebration of Scotland Loves Local takes the form of a reception sponsored by Meghan Gallacher MSP, the convenor of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) for Towns and Town Centres. The reception provides the opportunity to celebrate towns and places under the banner of Scotland Loves Local.
Welcome Remarks from Meghan Gallacher MSP and Paul McLennan MSP (Deputy Convenor of the CPG) will be followed by a Ministerial Address from Ivan McKee MSP the Minister for Public Finance, providing a Scottish Government perspective on empowering local places and people. The Minister will be followed by Councillor Maureen Chalmers the COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, showing how local authorities are championing town resilience and renewal.
The audience will be made up of many of those individuals and representatives from places that make our towns exceptional and have been recognised in this year’s Scotland Loves Local and Local Hero Awards. Kimberley Guthrie will provide a ‘showcase’ focusing on the award winners as the core of the event and celebration.
The winners have already been announced (the full list is here) and so this is truly a celebration.
You may have caught some of the local coverage of local and regional winners but also the focus on Paisley as Town of the Year. Sean Batty helped local celebrations in Paisley as his home town was given this accolade. He made an important comment:
“People are no longer talking about what Paisley used to be. They’re talking about what Paisley is becoming, because there’s so much going on here”.
The investment by Renfrewshire Council and the work of Paisley First BID are developing new assets and renewed confidence, making Paisley a very different place but embedded in its rich heritage.
Celebrations of this form (and the excellent work of High Street Positives to try to change the coverage across the UK) challenge the narrative of gloom pursued by so many in the media. Places are renewing, businesses are investing and local champions are doing great work. They deserve our recognition and support, and Scotland’s Towns Partnership are delighted to lead through our work and these Awards.
Much more positivity will also be on display at Scotland’s Towns Partnership Annual Conference to be held in Glasgow on the 27th November. Details can be found here.
