Leith’s 900th birthday bash will be the biggest show in town

I may risk being very unpopular in certain quarters for what I am about to write: but how can Leith bid to be the 2028 UK Town of Culture? It is not a town in the same sense as Haddington, Dalkeith and North Berwick, which have also put themselves forward for the title.

Leith is a neighbourhood of Edinburgh and has been since 1920 when it merged with rest of the city following a referendum when nearly 27,000 Leithers voted in favour of joining the Capital and just over 4000 said no.

I know some people have never come to terms with the decision. My late, lamented Evening News colleague, John Gibson, always insisted that Leith was independent, but the reality is that it is no more a town than Currie or Morningside.

That said, the cheeky bid has won the backing of everyone from Irvine Welsh, whose seminal book Trainspotting arguably put Leith on the contemporary map, to Hibernian FC, which draws much of its support from the north and east sides of the city.

Even the city council – which should know better – is backing the bid. Culture chief, Cllr Margaret Graham says this is an opportunity to “reaffirm Leith’s place on the international stage.” And she is not even a councillor for the area.

I suspect the bid is more to do with Leith’s upcoming 900th anniversary. The first written record of its existence is from 1128 when it appeared in a Royal Charter issued by King David 1 in which he granted lands to Holyrood Abbey. It refers to the area around the “Water of Leith” and so a legend was born.

I am all for Leith having the biggest possible anniversary celebrations in 2028 – with the city council making a proper contribution. I am still smarting from the fact that Edinburgh missed a chance to make a huge thing out its 900th birthday in 2024, so here is a chance to make amends.

There is just about enough time to plan a fabulous year-long programme of events celebrating this special part of the Capital.

After all, Leith would retain its unique personality if it were ever to leave the city, but Edinburgh would not be the same without Leith.