Culture bid boss urges Buddies to help take town all the way
The director of the Paisley 2021 City of Culture bid has issued a rallying cry to everyone in Renfrewshire – “We need your support to win this.”
Last Friday it was announced Paisley’s bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2021 had made the shortlist, alongside four others.
And Ferguslie Park woman Jean Cameron said the people of Paisley have been the key to its success so far
She said: “The energy we have here has been felt by our competitors, by Hull — the current holders, and by the judges. It’s time to double our efforts.
“We have not been shortlisted for no other reason than we can win this.
“The people of Paisley were right to back us and say we can do this. People can’t underestimate how powerful they’ve been. It’s their voices that have been heard, not ours. “You have got a part to play.” Jean urged people to go to the Paisley2021.co.uk website and click on the ‘get involved’ tab. Download a Back the Bid poster for where you live, talk to your family, friends and neighbours about the bid and go along to events in the town to show your support.
She said: “Our team has spoken to 30,000 people, including schoolchildren, about the bid and asked for their ideas,” said Jean.
“Our culture bus has been to community engagement meetings and we’ve been having real conversations with people.
“That’s the equivalent 40 per cent of Paisley’s population. There’s a real depth in that.
“Since the announcement on Friday, we reached 1.5million people on social media in just three days.”
Jean said winning the title centres on four key questions – do we need it, do we want it, do we know what we’re going to do with it and can we handle it?
“Deprivation in communities can bring social isolation and mental health issues, but culture has got a positive role to play in all of these things,” said Jean.
She added: “The Paisley Daily Express’s Why I Love Paisley campaign has shown that we want it.
“When I was down in Hull with the other candidates before the shortlist was announced, they knew about the campaign.
“They congratulated us on the way the town has rallied behind the bid.
“There are so many wonderful community groups in Paisley — Loud ‘n’ Proud, PACE, dance schools, we’ve got 26 choirs in the town, Paolo Nutini, a worldclass artist. We’ve got so many organisations, we know what we’re going to do with it.
“Can we handle it? We’ve got Police Scotland on board, NHS Scotland, Events Scotland – all these people with the expertise of running big events.
“We hold an amazing fireworks display on top of a 150-year-old Abbey. There’s definitely an expertise there.”
Next, Jean will talk to the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DDCMS), which is running the. competition, for feedback on Paisley’s application, what its strengths were and what it wants to see more of.
The Paisley 2021 team is working on an in-depth second bid, which will be submitted at the end of September, and the judges will visit the town in October before the winner is announced in December.
Jean said: “We don’t know if the judges will do a secret shopper and come here without telling us. So someone might tap you on the shoulder and ask you about it — you’d better be ready,”
Among the benefits of winning the title are an estimated £172million worth of investment in the area and the equivalent of 4,700 jobs over a 10-year period.
Jean said: “This is a golden opportunity to have a great partnership with all different stakeholders in the town, how we all work together to give people a reason to come into the town again.
“Events are at the heart of that.”
She added: “With the weaving and thread industries, Paisley has been had creative industries for the last 300 years.
“It’s what took our name around the world.
“We have so much that’s unique and internationally important.”
Jean got the phone call to say Paisley had made the shortlist on Friday morning while she was in at Renfrewshire House, on Mill Street.
She said: “When they told me, I looked out the window to the kingfisher mural and had a huge smile on my face.
“Paisley was reflected back at me. I feel quite emotional now remembering it.”
She added: “Growing up in Ferguslie Park, heading up this bid is pretty special.
“My love of culture came from growing up in Paisley.
“I’m so proud to come from Ferguslie Park and, as a woman, be heading up this bid.
“We’ve got this far – winning it is someone else’s decision. It’s in our control to make a success of it.
“Good things will happen anyway – the museum and library investment, for example.
“But make no mistake, we are in