Groups of volunteers from the Cittaslow Berwick group are working with local amenity groups, Berwick Community Development Trust, Northumberland County Council and other responsible agencies to address the Cittaslow criteria under the following six headings:-

A. Environmental Policy
B. Infrastructure Policy
C. Quality of Urban Fabric
D. Encouragement of Local Produce and Products
E. Hospitality and Community
F. Creating Cittaslow Awareness

The groups have identified a series of practical actions to be pursued during the first three years of the Cittaslow Berwick initiative.

A ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
	CRITERION	ACTION
A1	Apparatus to test air quality and report conditions	Check DEFRA/Berwick Borough Council (BBC) monitoring reports annually.
A2	Rules for the quality of water supplies and pollution-free water in rivers and waterways	Check monitoring reports annually on four types of water (coastal, river, mains drinking, private drinking) from all agencies.
A3	Plans for the implementation of new composting technology and the promotion of composting in people’s homes	Check BBC statistics annually.Encourage composting and shredding at BBC, in business and private houses.Promote Green Waste project as a demonstration of good practice and help to increase the Green Bin distribution area.
A4	Ability to measure light pollution and a plan of action to prevent it Encourage BBC to take a more clearly defined stance on street lighting.	Resurrect Street Lighting Strategy.Introduce and refine mechanism to log and monitor complaints over a set period.
A5	Incentives to encourage the use of alternative sources of energy.	Support BBC initiatives and check progress over Warm Zone and Prior Park.
A6	Mechanisms to measure electromagnetic emissions and a plan of action for their reduction .	Encourage BBC to maintain its existing watching brief on “electro-smog” in the area.
A7	Apparatus to measure noise pollution and plans to reduce it.	Encourage BBC to monitor and publish annually numbers and types of complaints.
A8	Plans for the elimination of aesthetically displeasing advertisements.	Take a lead in encouraging local amenity groups to report any concerns and support BBC in promoting Berwick as an attractive town working towards removing blemishes.
A9	Application of an environmental management system.	Encourage BBC to achieve Quality Council status by specified date.
A10	Participation in Local Agenda 21 projects.	Liaise with Local Agenda 21 initiatives and examine opportunities to link or develop projects.
B. INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY
	CRITERION	ACTION
B1	Existence of well-kept green spaces	Pursue “Parks for People” so as to include Castle Vale and Flagstaff Park.Participate in “Northumberland in Bloom”.Request planting times to coincide with holidays, etc.Liaise with Colin Carpenter (Berwick Borough Council).
B2	Existence of disability-friendly pavements and walkways. Developing and implementing an integrated traffic management and access strategy, paying attention to the needs of pedestrians and the historic character of the town.	Support strategies related to pedestrian safety and comfort.Support strategies re: traffic management and car parking.Ascertain the public’s perception of poorly lit, potentially vulnerable areas.Improve street lighting and link with a Lighting Strategy.
B3	Disability-friendly access to public places and offices.	Encourage the updating of BBC leaflet on disability access.Seek to improve access to Castle Vale Park with CARA.Create a list of walks accessible to those who have mobility problems.Pursue access issues to Guildhall with Freemen.Seek to improve Museum access.Join with St. John’s Centre to conduct survey of local facilities re: access.
B4	Infrastructure which facilitates alternative mobility Seek to improve signage as appropriate for these activities.	Support initiatives such as “Cycle to Work Day” and “Walk to School Day”.
B5	Free and easily accessible public conveniences.	Request that the Town Map show location of public conveniences.Investigate whether the previous access and payment for use of toilets in shops and offices can be reintroduced, with sliding scale of payment dependent on the length of availability. These would be free to the public.
B6	Places for people to sit down and rest, not just in town centres.	Draw up a plot of existing seats and consult local groups about any other requirements.
B7	Uniform opening hours for the different departments of council offices.	Confirm how these opening hours are publicised and seek to improve them if necessary.Gain additional information about facilities for which the County has responsibility, such as the Library, Social Services, the Registrars and new Passport facilities.
C. QUALITY OF URBAN FABRIC
	CRITERION	ACTION
C1	Plans to promote the maintenance, conservation and enhancement of historic areas, buildings and artefacts of cultural and local significance and their sympathetic re-use.	Show results of having co-operated with other appropriate bodies (BCDT BBC Planning Dept., Civic Society, etc.) around the current Master Plan for Berwick.Ensure that public comments made during the consultation period are complied with and follow Cittaslow aims.Ensure that a Berwick Building Recording Group is in placed.Offer assistance to other towns in light of the Berwick experience.Develop the Museum service to include the Burrell Collection.
C2	Plans to abolish faulty theft alarms, combined with suitable measures for the protection of private property.	Establish with BBC a firm time-scale for upgrading and enhancing the CCTV coverage and support initiatives.Publicise telephone number to report faulty alarms and monitor complaints by type.
C3	Encouragement of use of re-usable crockery and cutlery in public establishments.	Explore whether the cups used for the water distribution systems in offices, etc. can be recycled and if so, initiate a campaign to do so.
C4	Use of sightly litter bins and effective litter and waste management.	Establish timetable with appropriate bodies (BCDT, Town Centre Partnership, BBC) to divide area of the town and organise regular litter picks.Contact all shops/businesses adjacent to open spaces to monitor/organise litter picks (e.g. Morrisons).Promote/encourage an anti-litter poster campaign.Liaise with street collection man.Support a “Clean Up Berwick” programme.Highlight community responsibility for the state of the town.
C5	Plans to plant sweet smelling or environment-enhancing plants in public and private gardens.	Continue local initiatives.Seek to forge link with youth offending team/community service for possible initiatives to add to work force.Raise awareness of “Northumbria in Bloom” and create working group with Town Centre Partnership to include local graveyards.
C6	Encouragement of the use of interactive websites where the public can communicate with the administrators of the town.	Contact Northumberland County Council and BBC officers and members to schedule regular updates of websites to ensure relevance and accuracy.Create interactive websites and encourage councillors to use laptops to be more interactive.Be represented on Tweeddale Press website.Request that all local websites make reference to Cittaslow.Promote the availability of computers at Berwick Library for public use.
C7	Plans to promote eco-friendly architecture.	Collaborate with BBC Planning Dept., particularly with the likelihood of the reduction in planning restraints.Support the preparation of leaflets/posters for householders/architects on eco-friendly architecture and make available for distribution over a wider area than just the Borough.Support the establishment of a policy that future public buildings within the Borough are eco-friendly.
C8	Plans to promote appreciation of historic centres and to make them user-friendly through the production of a Town Plan, Conservation Area Appraisal, Town Design Statement or similar.	Work with CAAG to ensure Conservation Area Policy and Management Statements are implemented and used as a tool for planning in the future.Keep abreast of English Heritage for their plans to publish their Character Appraisals for Berwick, Spittal and Tweedmouth.
D. ENCOURAGEMENT OF LOCAL PRODUCE AND PRODUCERS
	CRITERION	ACTION
D1	Up to date Cittaslow register of locally produced goods and producers within the natural hinterland of the town.	Local Food Directory already produced by Berwick Slowfood Convivium.
D2	Events and training to help people appreciate and preserve local cultural and artistic traditions.	Provide details illustrating current arrangements to preserve and practice these skills and crafts.
D3	Plans to encourage and provide space for farmers and organic markets.	Berwick Farmers’ Market is held on the last Sunday of every month and a Slowfood Producers’ Market on the second Saturday of each month from April to September. A “Green Shop” trades in the town and locally produced and organic goods have a presence at the town’s annual Green Festival.
D4	Plans to increase awareness of good food and nutrition.	A 3-day Food Festival is being held in September. A Local Food Awards scheme has been established to encourage wider use and better promotion of local food and drink. A European recipe book will be produced using local ingredients.Work with Surestart to promote a joint programme to encourage young children and their parents to think in terms of “Healthy Eating”.
D5	Educational programmes about organic food production.	Join with the Borders Organic Gardeners and the Organic Garden Club to publicise a series of lectures and workshops that focus on organic food production. Co-operate with organisations committed to organic growing and sustainable living.Support producers in the locality who encourage visits to their businesses.Berwick Slow Food Convivium organises a programme of visits to organic food producers.
D6	Implementation of measures for the preservation of unique local foodstuffs.	A smokehouse at Seahouses produces kippers and other smoked fish and shellfish using traditional methods.A water-driven corn-mill at Heatherslaw has been restored and produces grains and flours for use by local bakers.Wild salmon have been caught commercially on the River Tweed at Berwick since the Middle Ages. The same method of fishing is continued at the single remaining fishing station, using nets and clinker-built rowing boats called cobles. Cittaslow Berwick will help promote local customs associated with salmon fishing including the Crowning of the Salmon Queen I July and the blessing of the nets by the local vicar at the beginning of the fishing season.
D7	Plans to encourage organic farming and quality certification.	Take positive steps to collaborate with local farmers who specialise in producing and marketing organic products including potatoes, eggs, beef, pork, lamb and cereals.
D8	Creation of awareness of traditional foodstuffs.	Help increase awareness among residents and visitors of traditional foodstuffs via promotional strategies employed by producers, retailers and hospitality providers. Strategies include the Local Food Awards Scheme, advertising, news items, magazine articles, menus, events, festivals and specialist publications.
D9	Plans for the protection of goods and produce representing local tradition.	Help advertise that Berwick’s geographical location has led to a traditional dependence on the River Tweed, sea fishing and farming activities based in its rural hinterland, that its docks still convey local products to European destinations and that farms in the area rear rare breeds of pigs and grow old and rare varieties of potatoes. Berwick’s historic herring industry is illustrated by two traditional smokehouses that continue to operate in the locality. “Lindisfarne Oysters” are farmed in a traditional way that is mentioned in the records of the monks of Holy Island dating back 600 years.
E. HOSPITALITY AND COMMUNITY
	CRITERION	ACTION
E1	The commitment to develop a Slow Food Convivium.	Berwick Slow Food Convivium was set up in July 2006.
E2	Multilingual signposting, directions and instructions.	Support the publication of tourist information material in some European languages and encourage English Heritage to install multilingual signposting.
E3	Training for those providing services to tourists and adoption of initiatives such as “Welcome Host”	Check availability and take-up of the “Welcome Host” initiative.Check availability and quality of familiarisation courses offered to hospitality providers by Northumberland Tourism and other bodies.
E4	Existence of well-marked tourist routes with information and descriptions.	Work with Berwick Chamber of Trade, Civic Society, Preservation Trust, CARA and other amenity groups to update and ensure accuracy of street maps, self-guides trails and descriptive leaflets of Berwick town and hinterland.
E5	Printed Cittaslow guides.	3-fold Cittaslow promotional leaflet published April 2008.
E6	Promote a wide cross section of social events, sports clubs and volunteering opportunities for the whole community.	Check that a range of events (general, film, music, drama, educational, sporting, etc.) are given appropriate publicity.Liaise with local amenity groups over their activities, encouraging people of all ages to participate in voluntary community activities.
E7	Managed car-parks in areas with access to town centres.	Explore local government responsibilities over car-parks.Check on maps of existing car-parks.Check pricing structure for daily, weekly and annual use.
E8	Promote special events to encourage development and support facilities to make it easy for people to come and enjoy them.	Be familiar with Community Safety Strategy 2005-08.Follow up BBC Safety Advisory Group meetingsExplore co-operation with Town Centre Partnership to help promote local events.Co-operate with publications that promote local events.
E9	Promotion of any initiatives of a Cittaslow nature.	Seek co-operation with other groups’ initiatives, e.g. Conservation Area Appraisals, Management Strategies, newspaper articles, DVDs promoting the area, etc.Seek to promote a document a document entitled Managed and Co-ordinated Town Centres.
F. CREATING CITTASLOW AWARENESS
	CRITERION	ACTION
F1	Directory of organisations contributing to the aims and objectives of Cittaslow.	Ensure that details of Cittaslow criteria and the names of all supporting groups are included in Directory of Organisations.
F2	Cittaslow logo on Council/partnership documents (letterhead, etc.)	Ensure that the Cittaslow logo appears on Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council (BBC) documents.
F3	Promotion of the movement’s aims and practices.	Launch has already taken place.
F4	Website showing how Cittaslow themes are applied.	Website designed and operational from 1st April 2008.
F5	To promote family life and healthy living for all age groups.	Ensure that positive contact has been established with Surestart, U3A and Able Bodied and others to help promote Cittaslow.
F6	Provision in budget for the application of these requirements and measures to improve scores.	Ensure that Cittaslow Berwick has applied to Regional Development Agency for financial assistance.
F7	Press cuttings referring to Cittaslow to be shown on Council noticeboards and establishment of lines of communication to local and national press and media.	Ensure that promised PR activities by BBC have taken place.
F8	Initiatives to involve opinion leaders and local firms in helping to achieve compliance with Cittaslow requirements.	Ensure B&Bs, Chamber of Trade, local food producers and suppliers have been invited to attend an informative seminar and have been canvassed for support.
F9	Encouragement of schools, hospitals, community centres and tourism operators to use local produce.	Ensure schools, hospitals, community centres and tourism operators have been invited to attend an informative seminar and have been canvassed for support.