Shortlisted City!

“Wearside used to export coal all over the world; now it makes brilliant art and exports that instead. We should celebrate the writers, film-makers, actors, artists and musicians who are based in the north east, and those who have left to spread the sense of this culturally vibrant place more widely. I whole-heartedly support Sunderland's bid to become 2021's UK City of Culture.”

Sunderland's lively optimism and rich history deserve the UK City of Culture 2021 title so a jewel in the nation's crown sparkles well into the future. From shipbuilding and glass making to music and the theatre, the glorious creativity of Sunderland's people is harnessing culture in its broadest sense to regenerate the city and North East England for this century and beyond.

Tracing Sunderland’s rich cultural history is an interesting job. It takes us from the saints and artist monks of St Peter’s, past Lowry and the ingenuity of the industrial age, to Lewis Caroll’s uncannily-named Wonderland to meet a Walrus and back home to a famous lion. We make glass, pop music and cars and so inspired Grayson Perry he came back to the city twice to create works of art. It is a city full of tough, funny people with soft hearts. I’m proud to call it home, and of the culture I inherited growing up there.

I think the City of Culture bid is a superb thing for Sunderland. We have a glut of incredibly talented people in the city, from musicians, to performance artists, to drama groups, to filmmakers, and photographers. This City of Culture bid is going to allow those different groups of artists to stand a much greater chance of being productive with their work and gaining success within their field. Now is Sunderland’s time.