As someone who was born and bred in Sunderland, I have seen huge change over the years.
From the days of heavy industry, when coal mines and shipyards were the workplaces of so many, to the unprecedented economic decline we suffered in the eighties, a period that left our great city depleted – exhausted – Sunderland has changed immeasurably over the last three decades.
Sunderland has been carefully rebuilding. Like many hundreds of other people here, I was one of those who lost my job with the closure of the shipyards and the region’s mines, something that forced me to take a different route; to look at what else I could do. Like the many individuals who were forced to reappraise their skills and reinvent themselves, the city has been on the same journey.
The newly approved arts and performance space near Keel Square
It’s been easy to look back during the last three decades, and remember the ‘glory days’, because it felt, for a long time, that Sunderland’s best days were behind it. But with the huge level of investment that is being ploughed into the city and the prospect of becoming UK City of Culture in 2021, now we can really look forward with confidence that our best days are ahead.
Regardless of whether Sunderland is successful in its bid, I believe that our city is in the middle of a cultural renaissance. It is a city that is reimagining its future, with new spaces that will attract creative people and industries, venues that can spur on the music and arts scene, and a renewed sense of purpose that is tangible.
Developments like the work we have undertaken in Keel Square will link perfectly to the work underway on the city’s Vaux site, which is going to be spectacularly brought back to life when the first of many phas
es opens its doors next year. A symbolic new structure will also reconnect the city centre to the riverside, extending the Keel Line and creating a space that can be a base for events and activities. It is hard to
remember a time in which our city has seen so much redevelopment in one time, and City of Culture status would really punctuate a moment in time for us. It would send a message to the world that we are a city that is changing, rebuilding and that has something exciting to offer.
Sunderland is not there yet. We are on the road to being a better city; a city that people here can be proud to call home. Our journey will take time, but City of Culture status would help to stimulate the real change that we need to be the best we can be.
It would see a spotlight shined on our city for all the right reasons, and not only that, but it would deliver change for the whole of the North East. Newcastle and Durham have both made the bold attempt to win cultural crowns of their own. How fantastic it would be if this was third time lucky for the North East; if we could seal City of Culture status and help the North East to really make its mark.
Sunderland has a route map now – we are on the road to being a reinvented city – a magnet city that will attract businesses and people. Part of that journey is the process of bidding to be a City of Culture. It is one that will take us down a road of realisation, bringing both our strengths and our weaknesses into sharp focus. But it is a journey we will emerge from stronger – more equipped to realise our potential – whether we succeed or not.
— Councillor Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland City Council
