Costa Leith sets its sights on twinning with Spanish town

Published on Saturday 13 September 2008 11:13

IT'S already unofficially twinned with Rio de Janeiro, but now Leith is setting its sights on a twinning partnership closer to home – with a small town in Spain.

Villanova i la Geltr is a coastal town about 30 miles from Barcelona.

It is also home to ex-Leither Nick Johnson, guitarist and lead singer with band Bluefinger, who have performed at the Leith Festival on many occasions.

He aims to set up twinning links between the two, which he hopes will help residents of Leith adopt a more continental way of life, as schoolchildren, performers and holidaymakers travel between them.

Mr Johnson, 45, said: "Some of the problems we've got with antisocial behaviour, they don't have over there because part of their upbringing is that if there's alcohol there's also food, and it's all done in a very calm and familial setting. It would help kids here."

To kick-start the twinning campaign, he is setting off on a 4000-mile motorbike tour of Spain, culminating in a concert in Villanova. His journey will be broadcast as travelogues on Leith FM.

"In due course, we'd like to do things like take the rugby team from Trinity Academy, or the basketball team from Leith Academy, things like that, and take them over so they can play with the kids over there," he said.

He also hopes to set up cultural links between Leith and Villanova, with artists and audiences travelling to take part in festivals.

Mr Johnson, who moved to Spain six years ago, said the two areas had plenty in common: "I felt at home as soon as I got there. The similarities are striking. They're both old fishing ports, and the population size is very similar. The sense of family there is the same as when I was growing up in Admiralty Street in Leith. The relationship between Villanova and Barcelona is almost the same as Leith and Edinburgh."

He has won the backing of the Spanish consul general in Edinburgh, Federico Palomera Gez, who said: "I think anything that forms relationships between two countries is good, and Spain and Scotland have a lot in common. It's good to air those similarities and put them to work."

As Leith is not autonomous, it cannot enter into an official twinning arrangement with the town, but Mr Johnson hopes an honorary relationship could be set up through Edinburgh City Council. He has already won the backing of Forth councillor and deputy city leader Steve Cardownie.

He said: "The proposal seems to be exciting, and I'm looking forward to sitting down and talking with them to see how we can get involved. Leith is sometimes overshadowed by Edinburgh, so the very fact that Leith will be doing things in its own right is good."

Leith Festival organisers announced they were unofficially twinning the area with Brazilian party city Rio de Janeiro last year in a bid to build cultural ties, and even put up a twinning sign on Leith Walk.