Bid can leave lasting legacy

So close, but may be not so far away ...

There was disappointment across Wearside as Arts and Culture Minister John Glen revealed Coventry as the winner of the UK City of Culture for 2021 live on BBC One’s The One Show last night.

Afterwards, the city’s bid chiefs rightly delivered an upbeat verdict in defeat and stressed that for Wearside the cultural mission goes on.

Keith Merrin, Chief Executive of Sunderland Culture, and part of the bidding team, said: “This is certainly not the end. Over the coming months, we will be making announcements about some of the great things that will come out of our bid and we are determined that we will carry on with the fantastic work we have started and support the cultural renaissance we are seeing in this wonderful city.”

Culture chiefs also stressed that there will be a lasting legacy of the bid on Wearside and they have already successfully raised more than £3.5million that will be pumped into developing our cultural scene.

Wearsiders don’t have to look far to see how defeat can be turned into victory.

Durham’s Lumiere Festival sprang from the city’s failed bid in 2009 to be crowned City of Culture 2013.

In less than eight years it has become an international attraction, bringing thousands of visitors and many millions of pounds into the city.

There is now momentum behind culture in our city, which has been generated by the bid, and there is a public desire to improve the city’s offering, which must be built on.

The race for the culture title may be lost but Sunderland should still came out of the whole process as a winner.