On Tuesday 26 March 2019 the Cross Party Group on Towns and Town Centres hosted its Annual Parliamentary Reception in celebration of Scotland’s small and rural towns. You can now read the event report containing photos, Twitter highlights and key points from the evening.
Read ‘A Celebration of Small and Rural Towns’ report here.
Taking place in the Scottish Parliament’s Garden Lobby, the CPG Towns Annual Parliamentary Reception was a special gathering of MSPs, support agencies, improvement districts and other local town stakeholders. They came together to celebrate the diversity and importance of Scotland’s small and rural towns.
Keynote speakers gave an overview of the critical social, cultural and economic contribution of Scotland’s smaller towns, and highlighted current policies and initiatives to support places and communities. Keynote speakers were:
Event Host
John Scott MSP, Convenor of the CPG on Towns
Ministerial Address
Aileen Campbell MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government
The Crucial Role of Small & Rural Towns
Professor Leigh Sparks, Deputy Principal and Professor of Retail Studies at the Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling and Chair, Scotland’s Towns Partnership
5G and What it Means for Places and People in Scotland
David Wallace, Director Scotland, Major and Public Sector, and Chair of BT in Scotland and Fotis Karonis, Managing Director, Mobile and Voice Converged Services, BT
Bringing Rural Resilience, Energy and Local Generation
Caryn Jack, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Scottish Power Energy Networks
Meanwhile a Small and Rural Towns Showcase hosted a number of local organisations and projects, demonstrating positive work and best practice underway in communities across the country.
Taking part in the showcase were:
- Aberdeenshire Council
- BID4Oban
- Discover Lanark
- East Lothian: Scotland’s Food and Drink County
- Rediscover Peterhead
- Scottish Borders Council
- Scottish Power Energy Networks
- We Are INverurie
The parliamentary reception was a unique opportunity for supporters of Scotland’s towns to network, learn, and exhange news and ideas. See here for highlights of the reception!
