The county of Durham is hoping to enter a bid to become the County of Culture 2025. It would be part of the City of Culture process, but with no rules stating applicants must be cities, representatives in the county are hoping a bid could be signed off.
It is hoped bagging an accolade like the County of Culture would attract hundreds of millions of pounds in investment, jobs and visitors.
The bid will focus on the likes of Beamish museum celebrating the industrial past of the area, beauty spots like Raby Castle, historic Bowes Museum and the wonderful nature of High Force. The outdoor spectacle Kynren will also be featured, along with highlighting our railway heritage with Locomotion Number 1.
At the heart of the bid will be the iconic Durham Cathedral in Durham city centre.
The application would need approval by the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. The region's MPs are pushing for him to give it the go ahead.
A meeting will be held to consider the proposal next week.
