Summary of presentations
Alness in Bloom
Carolyn Wilson explained how the appearance of Alness had been transformed through the efforts of the Alness in Bloom team. Although it is important to have as many volunteers as possible, Carolyn stressed the need to keep the project steering group fairly small. She also suggested that it is useful to have “a bossy woman” in charge to get things done. One of the lasting benefits is community ownership, especially the involvement of the younger generation.
Invergordon Off the Wall
Helen Kermode and Sonny Rhind reported on the extensive community consultation that took place in Invergordon to decide the themes for the various murals which are now appearing on the walls of various buildings in town. They told how they had been inspired by Chemainus on Vancouver Island, a town which had reversed its economic decline by developing a mural trail and was now attracting significant numbers of visitors leading to the economic regeneration of the town.
Castle Douglas – Food Town
Steve Groome outlined the background to Castle Douglas’s designation as Food Town, highlighting the number of independent food retailers and speciality shops in the town. He also explained how the town had developed a calendar of food themed events to try to attract visitors throughout the year. Steve then went on to talk about the collaboration with Galloway’s other themed towns Wigtown (Book Town) and Kirkcudbright (Artists’ Town) to create “Glorious Galloway – it’s absolutely F.A.B.” Food, Arts, Books.
Drovers’ Tryst
Katy Galbraith from Crieff explained how the Crieff & Strathdearn Drovers’ Tryst had developed from a simple walking festival to a week long event embracing a wide range of outdoor activities, coupled with evening events and street markets to try to encourage longer stays and more spend in the town. In order to differentiate the event from other walking festivals, they have highlighted the historical origins of the Tryst, dating back to the late 17th Century when Crieff hosted the greatest cattle market in Scotland.
Walkers are Welcome
Andrew Bibby from Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire explained the concept of a “Walkers are Welcome” town. This is a very recent designation and in late 2006 Hebden Bridge became the first town in Britain to become a “Walkers are Welcome” town. Andrew stressed that the initiative must come from the community. It must be a “bottom up” approach. He outlined the potential benefits to towns seeking the designation, including additional tourism, economic regeneration, health and greater use of public transport.
Key themes running through all the presentations were the need for community involvement, strong leadership, a good base of willing volunteers and sustainability.
Presentations can be downloaded from the Current documents section (Alness in Bloom presentation was solely photographs so is excluded).
All the speakers have said they are happy to be contacted if anyone has questions about their projects. E-mail addresses are as follows:
Alness in Bloom – carolyn.wilson.cllr@highland.gov.uk
Invergordon Off the Wall – hkermode@hotmail.com
Castle Douglas – stephengroome@btinternet.com
Crieff Drovers’ Tryst – katy@galvelmore.co.uk
Walkers are Welcome – andrew@andrewbibby.com
The Council's Tourism Section are also able to assist with some projects. If you have a project you think will help improve your community's tourism offering you can contact us as follows:-
Tourism Co-ordinator (01463) 244168 colin.simpson@highland.gov.uk
or
Tourism Development Officer (01463) 702949 gordon.ireland@highland.gov.uk