Preston Bids for UK City Of Culture 2025

The future may be a difficult concept to imagine right now. The North West has been hit hard by the corona virus and for many this has meant their very  livelihood has suffered with the emotional stress of broken friendships and families. 

 

What does Lancashire really need in five years time? Hopefully we’ll all be out of this mess by then and it will all be a distant memory but there is something that could suddenly change the outlook for employees and those in the arts. 

 

In 2008 Liverpool was awarded European Capital of Culture a title which has since boosted the city over the last 12 years. This evolved into the UK City of Culture which rightly saluted a city for the period of one year. Derry - Londonderry was given this title in 2013. The recent winner was given to Kingston upon Hull in 2017 and the 2021  worthy recipient will be Coventry. 

 

Now organisations around Lancashire are teaming up to put the county up for the UK City of Culture 2025, but what could the bid bring to Preston?

 

Lancashire is up against Bradford, Medway and Southampton who have also indicated their intention to bid in 2025.

 

Tony Attard, Chair of the Lancashire 2025 bid, highlights the glowing impact Preston may experience if it wins the bid,

 

“For Preston, this presents an opportunity to position the city and its cultural assets as the urban hub of one of four ‘neighbourhoods’, hosting a season of events and activity that will not just shine a light on the area in 2025, but deliver genuine legacy for the organisations and individuals who live and work here.”

 

Previous holders of the UK City of Culture have all benefited in the following key areas:-

In 2017, Hull attracted six million visitors, generated 800 new jobs, and boosted the local economy by £60 million. Tourism in Hull for that year also exceeded £300 million.

 

The bid can also be helpful to arts and culture, with this being a big reason for areas applying.

 

Ruth Heritage, Artistic and Executive  Director They Eat Culture and Board Member, Digital Lancashire expressed these words of reassurance to the general public, 

 

“This investment means that for Preston and the rest of the county’s vibrant and resilient arts and culture sector – from artists and creatives to festivals and venues – we can dream big and be ambitious. We can make our way out of Covid, where we’ve had no option but to rethink creating arts and culture into new experiences. Maybe six months ago the vision of a county-as-a-city would have been harder to talk about, but now we have all experienced life online it seems so much more natural for everyone, from digital innovators to my aunty who didn’t do Facebook until a few months ago. The county is ready for it, and so is the world.”

 

The increased investment over subsequent years that bidding cities gain from bodies including:-

Plus attention from national press and media, is regularly quoted as one of the main benefits of bidding for UK City of Culture status and other cultural titles.

 

^Alex Ashworth CCG Art Blogger