End of the road for Great Yarmouth and East Suffolk's bid for UK City of Culture

It's the end of the road for Great Yarmouth and East Suffolk's bid to be the UK city of culture 2025. 

The combined areas didn't make the long list for the competition with a record twenty locations submitting bids this year.  Eight will now be considered.

A successful bid led by Great Yarmouth Borough and East Suffolk Councils would have seen the two coastal areas host a year-long programme of creative events and activities in 2025 to showcase their cultural offers to the world.

Both councils believe the spotlight has been worthwhile and the experience a very positive one, with plans in place to ensure local communities continue to benefit from existing and future cultural activities. 

The joint bid attracted national attention, bolstered by the timely appearance of several Banksy artworks in Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Lowestoft last month.

Huge numbers of visitors came from across the country to view the works, putting Great Yarmouth and East Suffolk on the map and providing a huge boost to the City of Culture bid, the council's said.