D-DAY DAWNS
Hollywood’s Zeta-Jones backs Swansea’s UK City of Culture 2021 bid
TODAY is the day Swansea will find out if will be named UK City of Culture for 2021. After months of campaigning, the result will be revealed tonight .
Swansea has been shortlisted alongside Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Paisley for the title.
At stake is a £3m Heritage Lottery Fund grant which will be used to fund a packed programme of cultural activities.
The title would would not only bring Swansea the opportunity to stage a year-long programme of events to attract local, national and international audiences, investment and attention – it would also bring jobs and a boost to wellbeing in the city.
The announcement will be made by the Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on The One Show on BBC One between 7pm and 7.30pm tonight.
Celebrities including Michael Sheen and Rob Brydon, as well as the city’s football stars, are among those who have given the bid their backing. The latest is Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Oscar-winning actress was born and raised in the city. She also got her early grounding in theatre and dance there, with the Hazel Johnson Dance School, which used to meet in St Alban’s Church in Treboeth.
She said: “I’m lending my support to my hometown, the city of Swansea, in its bid to become UK City of Culture 2021 because it has supported me for many, many years.
“There isn’t enough time for me to go on about my love for Swansea but I am humbled by the fact that I am joined by so many creative people who were born and brought up there, in backing the bid.
“Swansea has meant so much to me in my life. Please join me in supporting Swansea city to become UK City of Culture 2021.”
Robert Francis-Davies, from the Swansea 2021 team and a Swansea Council cabinet member, said: “It’s not every day you get a special message from an Oscar-winning Hollywood star and it is fantastic to have Catherine Zeta-Jones backing our bid.
“Catherine has always been a great champion of Swansea and Gower and she is very familiar with the cultural heritage of the city – and attuned to its potential.
“The fact that she has taken time out of her very busy schedule to send us this message says a lot about how crucial the UK City of Culture 2021 bid is for this part of the world.”
Rob Stewart, from the Swansea 2021 team and leader of Swansea Council, said they are hoping for a “good result”.
He said: “After so much hard work, everyone in Swansea is on the edge of their seats...
“It’s brilliant news that the winner will be announced on such a fantastic platform and of course we are all hoping and praying for a good result.
“To see our bid being backed from across the world is truly staggering. As we get ever-closer to the final decision, the support has been pouring in from all over Swansea, Wales, the UK and now the world. We hope we can do our namesakes proud.”
Jane Simpson, from the Swansea 2021 team and owner of Galerie Simpson, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the number of people – from celebrities with a love of the city like Rob Brydon, Bonnie Tyler, Wynne Evans and Rhys Ifans, to choirs, community groups, schools and others – who have given their wholehearted support to Swansea 2021 throughout our campaign.
“We are so grateful for the way the city has got behind Swansea and the buzz surrounding the whole campaign has been really pleasing.”