Coventry City of Culture year comes to an end - but what impact has it had on the city?

ITV News Central reporter Pablo Taylor was in Coventry to find out how being City of Culture has changed it for the better


It's the last day of Coventry's tenure as City of Culture, after a year that has seen events across the city.

It was first awarded the title back in December 2017, but this got delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But what impact has it had on Coventry, and what will its legacy be?

Coventry City of Culture believes that over one million people attended more than 700 events, both online and in person. Organisers said the creativity was made possible through "faith groups, community centres, libraries, schools, community radio stations, the police, and local arts organisations all helping to shape and design the creative programme."

The man behind the events, Martin Sutherland, said it had "helped put a positive spotlight on the city."

"To tell a new story of a city that's bouncing back, that's energised, which is diverse."


Councillor Jim O'Boyle, Coventry City Council

Jim O'Boyle, a Councillor on the City Council, suggested that the year of culture had helped attract investment to the city.

"When I first got this job you could really count how many developers and investors we had in this city on maybe a couple of fingers," he said.

"I meet regularly lots of new developers and investors who want to come to Coventry, see what it's like, and they're putting their money where they're mouth is."

In local Belgrade theatre in Coventry, which has benefitted from increased investment as a result of city of culture,

"We've really tried to up the ambition of our producing as Coventry's local theatre... city of culture has just brought a new energy to the city - it's been people powered, it's felt like a really exciting place to live, to work, and it's put culture at the centre of who we are as a city."

Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough are all competing for the next title - and, if Coventry's experience is anything to go by, it looks like the winning city is in for a treat.