City of Culture leaders vow events will carry on

PLYMOUTH is to plough on with exciting plans for major events despite being snubbed in the race to become UK City of Culture.

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

Hannah Harris (L), chief executive of Plymouth Culture, and Abigail Netcott, marketing and development manager at The Box

Leaders behind the bid said they have been left “heartbroken” after Plymouth failed to make a longlist of candidates this week.

But they stressed the work that had gone into the bid will not be wasted and they can continue with talks involving agencies, organisations, businesses and funders who have already shown interest.

They are also in talks with colleagues in Exeter and Bristol, who also failed to make the longlist, about what can be done across the region, as the South West was totally snubbed.

A plan could be presented to Plymouth City Council this summer for cultural events which could focus on such things as Plymouth’s centenary as a city in 2028, the 170th anniversary of what is now Arts University Plymouth, and the reopening of a revamped Guildhall, expected in 2029.

Plymouth will not have, of course, the £10m prize that will go to one of the longlisted locations: Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Blackpool, Inverness-High-land, Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Swindon, Wrexham or Portsmouth.

But bid leaders stressed that something on a smaller scale is possible and the momentum generated by the bid can be highly useful.

“We have options,” said Hannah Harris, chief executive of Plymouth Culture, who led the bid alongside leaders from The Box.