Bosses set out stall for Durham glory

Apr 16 2009 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

CIVIC bosses yesterday vowed to step up the pace of their bid to make sure Durham is Britain’s City of Culture in 2011.

The bid will centre on Durham City but attract participation from, and bring benefits to, the rest of the county and the region as a whole. As well as city landmarks such as the cathedral, castle and Gala Theatre, attractions across County Durham such as the Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle, Killhope Lead Mining Centre in Weardale and Beamish Open Air Museum near Stanley will play a key role in Durham’s challenge.

In a report to the first meeting of the new unitary county council’s cabinet, its director of regeneration and economic development Ian Thompson outlined a strategy for success and spelled out the potential benefits that winning the bid could bring.

And to emphasise that the council means business, he announced it had won a promise of £500,000 in sponsorship from the County Durham Partnership’s Performance Reward Grant.

He said: “The experience of cities like Liverpool and Glasgow has shown the power and tangible benefits of culture-led regeneration. County Durham will be the first predominantly rural area to bid to take advantage of these benefits.

“Our bid could signal a new start for County Durham as a whole, projecting a positive, confident image and reversing economic decline and national perceptions.”

Mr Thompson said Durham performed poorly compared to other historic cities when it came to attracting visitors, and recent surveys showed a lot of people in other parts of the UK were not even sure where it was. Earlier this year, the County Council was the first authority in the country to signal its intention to compete for the City of Culture title in a new Government competition thrown open to every city in the UK by Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.

Reaffirming his determination to win the bid, Durham County Council leader Simon Henig said: “A cultural renaissance programme in the county has such potential to drive improvements in residents’ quality of life we are proposing the county council stages a festival of culture in 2011, regardless of whether the Government presses ahead with this City of Culture competition, or, in the event that it does, regardless of whether we win or lose.”