Hoping for one Hull of a boost!
SUNDERLAND WAITS FOR SHORTLIST NEWS AS PREVIOUS WINNER REVEALS CITY OF CULTURE BENEFITS
Sunderland will find out next month if it has made the final shortlist in its bid to be named 2021 City of Culture.
Sunderland is one of 10 towns and cities competing for the title, along with Swansea, Coventry, Hereford, Paisley, Perth, Portsmouth, St David’s, Stoke, Warrington and Wells.
A decision on which places will go through to the next round of the process will be announced in mid-July, with the winner unveiled in Hull in November.
Those behind the Wearside bid hope a triumph would see Sunderland enjoy the kind of boost Hull has received.
An academic study conducted by the University of Hull’s Culture Place and Policy Institute (CPPI) during the city’s first three months as 2017’s City of Culture has highlighted massive economic and social benefits, including increased trade and a rise in hotel occupancy.
Hull City Council also revealed about 90 new businesses have been established, or have changed use, with 550 new jobs being created to date.
The study also showed 90 %of Hull’s residents have visited a cultural event so far this year. At least 450 events, exhibitions and cultural activities were during the first three months, attracting more than 1.4million visits,
Rebecca Ball, Director of Sunderland’s 2021 City of Culture bid said: “These fantastic statistics show the sort of huge benefits we’d enjoy from a successful bid.
“It would boost the city economically, socially and culturally, and like Hull we’d also expect to see significant increases in levels of well being, confidence and pride.
“We’ve been to Hull and the city is buzzing.”