Cornwall’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025 has moved another step closer with the launch of a new website as the finishing touches are put to the formal bid document.
Cornwall is among eight regions in the UK vying for the prestigious title having been whittled down from 20 expressions of interest last year.
The competition is run by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the deadline for formal bids is next Wednesday (Feb 2).
The new website, www.cornwall2025.com, explains the reasons behind Cornwall’s bid, what it hopes to achieve, and showcases the wealth of creative and cultural talent that already exists in Cornwall and how City of Culture status would build on that foundation.
The site has been designed by Studio Felt from Lostwithiel and paid for with a grant from DCMS that has been awarded to all bidding regions to support the bidding process.
Cornwall’s bid is being led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership whose chief executive, Glenn Caplin-Grey, said: “The website is a celebration of Cornwall’s cultural diversity but also a reminder of the social and economic challenges that City of Culture status would help us to address. Our bid is setting out to Government not only why Cornwall should win, but why Cornwall deserves to win, especially when it comes to levelling up the UK’s economy.
“The website also explains how people and businesses can get involved and show their support, including graphics and logos to use on social media and email footers. We hope everyone in Cornwall will join us in making some real noise about our bid in the coming weeks.”
Once the official bid has been submitted it will be evaluated by an expert panel before a shortlist is announced in March. The winner of City of Culture 2025 will be announced in May.
Winning City of Culture would see Cornwall launch a year-long programme of cultural events throughout 2025 around the themes of People, Place and Planet embracing artistic, educational and community involvement, and millions of Cornish diaspora around the world.
Details of the cultural programme will be released over the coming weeks.
