Renfrewshire Community Planning Conference 2016 · 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

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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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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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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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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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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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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


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


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


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

Renfrewshire Community Planning Conference 2016 · 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

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