After Ludlow - TrustNews Dec 05
After a false start earlier in the summer, on 13th October at the councillors' Town Forum (as opposed to the public sessions) the Trust's best advocate for the Cittaslow concept, the mayor of Ludlow, was, at last, able to make his case to Winchester's elected members.
It would have been hard to put a more unanswerable case. Graeme Kidd spoke for only 15 minutes, but was able to convey a huge amount about the value of what he called 'the mindset' that Cittaslow membership gives.
Emerging initially from the Local Agenda 21 group, the idea of Cittaslow was embraced by the WI and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust among other groups. Application for Cittaslow status has to come from the local authority, to which Ludlow Town Council happily agreed. As in Winchester, many of the elements of Cittaslow - environmental awareness, community involvement - were already in place in Ludlow, but the addition of 'the mindset' gave added impetus. As a result there is now a flourishing composting scheme and a programme whereby children are taught about real food, both in and out of school. The local perry (pear cider) has joined the Slow Food Ark, giving it protected status as a regional product, like Parma ham or champagne.
It's not immediately obvious what Winchester's contribution to the Ark might be - suggestions welcome - but there are still many areas where Winchester might follow Ludlow's leading 'mindset'. The protection of the town centre against the corporate designs of so many shop fronts, the links forged between disparate community groups, as well as the selling point of the designation itself, are all huge benefits.
After Graeme Kidd's presentation, councillors asked many questions and debated the suggestion before deciding that what they really needed was a fact-finding visit - a sensible decision for a place so full of Michelin stars. (It was made very clear that members would pay for the trip themselves). They head for the Marches on January 5th - we hope they will be as impressed as we were.