County Durham officially launch bid to become 'City of Culture 2025'
Today marks the launch of County Durham’s bid to become the UK City of Culture 2025.
Previous winners include Hull in 2017, and Coventry in 2020 - though that was pushed to 2021 due to the pandemic. Winning brings tens of thousands of visitors, and hundreds of millions of pounds to the local economy.
In Hull specifically, the programme was directly responsible for at least £89.3 million of investment in the city and contributed to an increase in tourism that year of almost 10 per cent.
The bid has been submitted by Durham County Council on behalf of Culture Durham, which is a partnership of organisations including Beamish Museum, Durham Cathedral, Durham University and Locomotion.
Those involved are optimistic about the possibility as Durham already boasts areas of outstanding natural beauty as well as a growing calendar of events including Lumiere Festival, Kynren, Seaham and Bishop Auckland Food Festivals, Durham Book Festival, Durham BRASS and first-class cricket.
Between now and 2025, organisers of the bid have planned additional events to take place that will boost the campaign such as:
Launch of the 1950s town at Beamish Museum
Programme of events around the display of the Lindisfarne Gospels in the north east
Opening of a new dedicated history centre for the county in 2023
Relaunch of Redhills: Durham Miners' Association, in 2023
200th anniversary in 2025 of the first passenger railway which started in Shildon
International artistic collaborations with new and contemporary artists working across genres
Cultural events that explore economics, science and the environment
Community-based events, activities and initiatives
Projects that will use digital technology to create and inform cultural experiences
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council's Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, added: “It would also place our communities at the heart of a year-long programme of events and activities and lead to longer-term benefits for our economy, our people and our cultural infrastructure.”The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will be shortlisting six locations in September which will then have until January 2022 to submit their full bids.
The successful city will be announced in May 2022.