Longford town to examine the prospect of Purple Flag Award

Longford County Council are embarking on a suite of measures to achieve the prestigious Purple Flag Award for the county town.
The Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) Purple Flag award recognises excellence in the management of the evening and night-time economy and signifies the diverse range of offerings available in Longford after 5pm.
ATCM is a not-for-profit membership organisation, one of the largest dedicated to promoting the vitality and viability of urban centres across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

The Purple Flag Zone accredits towns with family entertainment, arts and culture venues, shopping, dining, pubs and nightclubs, accommodation and transport – something for everyone in the evening, nighttime and early morning.
Ian Lacey, Executive Planner at Longford County Council, told Longford Municipal District Members that plans are in place to achieve the prestigious award for Longford.

The application brings together a multitude of stakeholders working within and for the town.
“The awarding of the Purple Flag symbolises a location that offers a well-managed, diverse, entertaining and enjoyable evening and night out,” Mr Lacy told the councillors.
“The application involves a Purple Flag Award self-assessment of Longford Town which will focus on reviewing the evening and night time offering of the town under the five themes of the award scheme which are Wellbeing, Movement, Appeal, Place and Policy.

As well as working with Longford local authority Mr Lacey is also an assessor for the ATCM Purple Flag scheme.
The final Purple Flag Award assessment which will be undertaken by an external Purple Flag assessor, will be the concluding section of the overall application and in doing so will be key to the final award decision.
“It stands for a better and safer night out,” Mr Lacey told the members, “This doesn't happen by accident. It is about innovation, curation, planning and partnership coming together.”
There are 77 locations across the world with the Purple Flag designation since it started in 2012. A series of standards have to be met. Areas must reach these standards to achieve the Purple Flag.

“It's much more than just action on alcohol and alcohol misuse, it is about entertainment, arts and culture and the variety on offer in the areas,” Mr Lacey said.
In his reply, Cllr Gerry Warnock was not convinced about the prospect of the accreditation. “I thoroughly believe in having goals, and this is a goal, but it seems unattainable,” he said, “the reality is we are at the very starting point of this. It's more an aspiration than anything else at this stage.”
Cllr Warnock identified issues with the proposal. “We have a hell of a lot of issues working against us. Two that jump out immediately are the lack of accommodation for visitors,” he said, adding, “the other one that jumps to mind is the lack of public transportation.”

Cllr Martin Monaghan said accreditation would be a positive thing for Longford. “We can offer as much as any other town in the region,” he said, “I can see this as a no brainer, I think it would be a huge benefit to the county in general. This would give business in the town a lift.” He pointed to Backstage Theatre and St Mel's Musical Society as examples of the diverse social offerings.
Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi said working towards a Purple Flag would provide much needed optimism. “There is a lot of negativity that is dragging down the tone of the town. I believe there are a lot of positives in Longford.”

Cllr Adejinmi highlighted the public hunger for night time events: “People are looking for that night time economy.
“We have had the success of Longford Summer Festival, the Dead of Night Festival and Longford Lights Festival, all bringing crowds into the same Longford that is getting such a bad rap. It definitely is possible. As long as we work together it is achievable.”