Colourful symbol shows town is safe and welcoming
Paisley is celebrating its status as a safe, inviting nighttime destination by flying its Purple Flag high in the heart of the town centre.
The town was awarded Purple Flag Status in January in recognition of its thriving evening and nighttime economy.
And now visitors arriving in Paisley at Gilmour Street train station will see the flag flying high in County Square.
Councillor Marie McGurk, convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board, said: “We are delighted that Paisley has been recognised as an exciting, diverse, safe place to enjoy a night out and we’re proud to fly the Purple Flag in our town centre.
“To achieve the status, we had to show Paisley was welcoming to all, offers safe ways for visitors to travel home and provides a range of inviting establishments for people to visit.
“The work that has gone on behind the scenes with each of the partners involved has been fantastic and the final application proved just how deserving the town is of Purple Flag status.
“As we look ahead to the decision on Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021, the achievement of this status is yet further evidence that Paisley is an attractive and vibrant place for people to visit and spend money in.”
The Purple Flag programme is managed by the Association of Town and City Management, which works in partnership with key stakeholder groups backed by the government, police and businesses, as well as UK sponsor Diageo Great Britain.
To be awarded the flag, towns and cities must provide a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture, while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and residents.
The application for Purple Flag status was developed by Renfrewshire Council and Paisley First, with input from Scotrail, Police Scotland, Paisley Pubwatch, Renfrewshire Cabs, Paisley Street Pastors and Paisley and West Community Council.
It considered five key themes of wellbeing, movement, appeal, place and policy.
Ian Henderson, chairman of Paisley First, said: “When the much-coveted Purple Flag was awarded to Paisley in early 2017, it was an important milestone event.
“It endorsed the town as a safe place to have an entertaining night out and we are delighted the award has been renewed.
“The award is particularly reassuring to the thousands of students who come from overseas to Paisley each year to study.
“Paisley First would like to thank all of the local stakeholders involved with the Purple Flag that have worked hard to retrain the accreditation.”
There are more than 70 towns and cities across the UK and Ireland which are accredited with Purple Flag status, including UK City of Culture host cities Hull and Londonderry.
Paisley is one of just four places in Scotland to hold the status, alongside Dunfermline, Perth and Aberdeen.
For more information, go to www. renfrewshire. gov. uk/ purpleflag
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