By delivering Cittaslow through a social enterprise – Diss Community Partnership (a business set up with a social purpose) – Diss has one of the more successful Cittaslow models in the UK, which others want to copy
The fact Diss has a supportive and innovative town council overseeing Cittaslow, is also one of our main strengths
What was achieved last year? Diss launched its
Cittaslow grant scheme and opened the first Cittaslow Centre and Cittaslow Shop in the UK, if not the world.
Diss is the first UK Cittaslow group, to be looking seriously at the Cittaslow brand potential, not only for promoting the town but its home grown products as well.
Keeping the Diss Cittaslow Centre open and sustainable will be a major challenge this year but exciting too, as it is a concept ripe for franchising.
Events and other Courtyard activities last year helped keep the local economy stronger, while the continuing clay lump building project led by Sarah Roberts from Gazes, will help protect heritage in Diss in the long term.
What can Diss achieve this year? The plan is to launch the Cittaslow Snail Trail around Easter although some of the boards may well go up before then, there will be a new Diss visitor leaflet, a new Cittaslow visitor pack, a new Diss Nature trail, a new Cittaslow Diss website, and a number of Cittaslow initiatives from Diss Business Forum, plus, it is hoped, Cobbs Yard will be revamped and greatly improved using funding from the Cittaslow community grant scheme and working in partnership with other traders in the Yards.
In order to strengthen the Cittaslow position in Diss, it is also planned to branch out and extend the Cittaslow philosophy throughout the Waveney Valley and have exciting plans on how to do this – more on this later in the year.
So with all this mind, I wish readers a fantastic 2008 and look forward to working with many of you this year.
The full article contains 335 words and appears in Diss Express newspaper.
