Businesses hear case for City of Culture title

Nearly 30,000 people are said to have enjoyed the spectacular Norie-Miller Walk lights and performances in Perth since they started last month.

And the impressive figure could be the start of things to come should Perth successfully land the coveted UK City of Culture 2021 title, a special gathering was told earlier this week.

The team behind the application held a successful business engagement event on Tuesday this week, designed to give local firms the chance to get up to speed with the perceived benefits of landing the sought-after accolade.

Speakers included David Watt, chief executive of Arts & Business Scotland; John Bullough, chair of Perth City Development Board; Geoff Crow director of 21CC Group Limited and Fiona Robertson, head of public service reform, culture and community development at

Perth and Kinross Council – as well as Provost Liz Grant.

Mr Crow’s events firm is behind the Norie-Miller Walk displays and was a key player in the city’s Christmas Lights switch-on event.

He said that City of Culture status would enhance an already growing reputation for staging impressive cultural events, adding that people “were looking to see what Perth is doing” when it came to planning their own festivities.

Provost Grant praised the event already undertaken to promote Perth’s cultural campaign – such as last year’s community launch outside Perth City Hall and last week’s presentation at Westminster – and said the region’s younger residents were among the many who stand to benefit for the City of Culture title should the local team succeed against its rivals.

Ms Robertson stressed later in the evening that Perth’s status as the historic capital of Scotland and as its newest city was one of the many “unique qualities” that made it stand out from the crowd.

She added that it was important that communities took ownership of the ongoing campaign as that is what she felt would “bring it to life”.

Mr Bullough, co-founder and chair of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance and former McEwans of Perth chief, explained City of Culture 2021 status would be used to provide a springboard to achieve an ambition which seeks to turn the Fair City into “one of Europe’s greatest small cities” as it will dovetail with a substantial programme of investment.

“It will be the catalyst to deliver the regeneration that Perth so badly needs,” he stressed.

Host John Fyffe, the local authority’s depute chief executive, closed the meeting by encouraging those present to sign a pledge of support for a campaign he said he believed Perth could win.

The formal UK City of Culture bid is to be submitted in April, with a decision taken by the UK Government’s Department of Culture Media and Sport later in the year.

The lights event continues this weekend and is due to conclude on Tuesday, St Valentine’s Day with a themed event. Lighting up is from 3pm to 10pm.