Coventry one of 11 cities to bid for UK City of Culture 2021 - DCMS reveals
Coventry’s race to be UK City of Culture is hotting up – after its rivals for the 2021 title were officially revealed.
The Coventry City of Culture Trust registered the city’s interest in bidding to the Department of Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) in February after more than a year’s work in preparing the ground for a bid.
The DCMS set a deadline of February 28 for cities to put themselves forward and now that deadline has passed, it has revealed that Hereford, Paisley, Perth, Portsmouth, St Davids, Stoke, Sunderland, Swansea, Warrington and Wells will be moving forward with a bid.
An initial bid must be submitted by April 28 before shortlisting takes place in May/June of this year. Full and final submissions will be required from shortlisted cities by September 29.
The final decision on who is UK City of Culture 2021 will be announced in December.
Laura McMillan, manager of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said it was an exciting landmark.
She said: “We knew at the turn of the year that time would fly by and this is another major checkpoint in our bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021. We are now less than two months away from having to submit our initial bid.
“We’ve known, roughly, who the competition would be for some time and there are some great cities, all with very different stories to tell and we wish them all the very best of luck.
“But, we believe, that we have a very strong story and see this as a huge opportunity to tell that to the world.
“The process so far has revealed some of the great things already going on in Coventry – some of that culture is underground and is not widely known about and the bid alone has started to bring some of that to the fore.
“It has highlighted our history of invention and reinvention as well as our ability to move people – both physically, by cycle, car or jet engine, and emotionally, through culture.
“In the wider context of the world and within the current climate, we have seen the human side of Coventry - we are not only a city of culture but a city of cultures.
“We also have to be very honest about who we are and where the city is positioned. Our research has revealed some of the social challenges we have as a city and, also, where we are as a cultural destination.
“Being UK City of Culture in 2021 would be a massive boost for Coventry and many of our programme ideas are based around the communities of the city and how the title would leave a lasting legacy for our people and our different areas.
“We can see what UK City of Culture is already doing for Hull and we believe the time is right for Coventry.”
Coventry City Council, The University of Warwick, and Coventry University are Principal Partners of the bid and are providing significant support. The Ricoh Arena is Bid Sponsor while Jaguar Land Rover, Friargate, Coventry Building Society, the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Airport, Pertemps, Adient and CEF (City Electrical Factors) are all Bid Development Sponsors.
