In a nutshell; you are! By simply taking an interest in this site, investigating what it is that we do, you have become part of global movement which promotes, preserves & celebrates good, clean & fair food from locally produced rare breed pork to ethically sourced chocolate from Ecuador. Officially speaking, however, Slow Food Linlithgow consists of the convivium, so lets start there. The Convivium - or Group Convivium (a slightly fanciful word taken from the Latin 'cum vivere' or ‘to live together’) is just our name for the small, autonomous, local groups who are the backbone and heartbeat of Slow Food. In Linlithgow the convium has around 30 members, 200 supporters & 4 committee members who try and keep all of them informed, entertained & well fed through education & events. Each convivium has its own particular characteristics, according to the area covered and the people who come together to make it work. The leader and committee are elected by the members and the activities reflect the members' interests and the opportunities afforded by the particular location. We are all volunteers doing things in our spare time so every convivium is different! The Members Our members are making a statement & an impact on several levels. They are making a stand for local produce & business, for ethically sourced produce around the world, for biodiversity and slower, more considered pace of life in general. They come from all walks of life; as Catherine Gazzoli, Slow Food UK's Chief Executive puts it, we aim to "appeal to the truck driver as much as to the landed gentry". They attend & support our events, spread the good word about Slow Food and perhaps most importantly, they try and make our goal of a slower, more considered pace to eating & living a reality in their own lives. They also, quite literally, put their money where their mouth is; memberships cost from £20 & you would be amazed at how far we can make it stretch. The local convivium receives a percentage to help fund local events & education programs. The Slow Food UK office gets a share to fund co-ordination of the UK convivia & to fulfill it role as advocacy group to promote our message at a governmental level. Slow Food International also receives a share which it uses to produce our award winning publications and membership materials amongst many other organisational responsibilities. Finally, 10% of every membership fee goes to the Slow Food Foundation which promotes & preserves endangered foodstuffs around the world and the ways of life that accompany them. The Supporters We consider all those who attend our events, subscribe to our newsletter, join our Facebook group or follow us on Twitter to be supporters. Anyone is welcome to do one, or all, of the above. Some are local businessmen, restauranteurs & farmers who generously support us with their fantastic products & services. Some are local people who just want to be kept informed of the latest events & some are avid foodies who love debating the latest food related news on our Facebook page. We say, come one, come all! The Committee Every convivium starts with just a few bold souls who want to make a difference & it they who usually form the the very first committee. It is their responsibility and privilege to organise events, drum up members and inform their friends, neighbours & local community about the good work that Slow Food is doing. They need to be elected/re-elected by the membership at the convivium's AGM. The committee for Slow Food Linlithgow 2010 comprises; Michael Bennett - Group Leader
Alan Wilson - Group Treasurer and Secretary
Carol Sutherland - Committee member |
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