Ray Spencer MBE has been the Executive Director at The Customs House in South Shields since 2000 and is one of the most respected figures in the region’s arts and culture sector. Here he explains why he is such a firm supporter of Sunderland’s City of Culture bid.
I’ve watched with interest and admiration as Sunderland has developed its arts and cultural sector with real purpose and energy. It’s now a city that values the importance of the sector and recognises the social and economic benefits that a vibrant, inclusive programme of arts activity can bring to a city.
And as an ardent, life-long SAFC supporter and a regular attender at the Empire theatre, I know how passionate Wearsiders can be. Having performed the one-man show “I Left My Heart at Roker Park” to audiences at the Stadium of Light I also know first hand how welcoming and supportive the people of Sunderland can be.
These attributes would serve the city so well should they be successful in their bid to be City of Culture 2021.
And I sincerely hope they do.
For a successful bid would transform Sunderland and how it is perceived nationally and globally, and it would also be a huge benefit to the whole region.
The Customs House, South Tyneside
South Shields, Newcastle, and Durham would all get a shot in the arm from what is in reality a regional as well as a city bid. Of course the bid would be centred on Sunderland, but the region would also be in the spotlight, and would respond by programming activity to complement a year-long programme of amazing arts on Wearside.
It is reported that Hull’s 2017 title could be worth more than £80m to the city, and the presumption is that a successful Sunderland bid would be worth about the same. Such investment would lead to improvements in investment and the creation of new creative companies, meaning many more jobs – benefiting the whole region, and not just Sunderland.
As someone who runs an arts venue, I would be particularly interested in the national and international performers who would be drawn to the city during a once-in-a-lifetime programme of fantastic performances in 2021. Such a programme would undoubtedly lead to people being inspired to get involved in the arts and culture, leaving a real and lasting legacy. That legacy would be equally as important as a year of world-class events.
As a parent, I’m also equally interested in what a successful bid could mean for the next generation. It would help us retain the potential of too many young people who believe they have to leave the region to secure a livelihood working in the arts sector. Young people would be coming to the region, rather than leaving it.
Which brings me on to pride.
Sunderland is a proud place – proud of its important heritage, proud to be a city by the sea and proud of its friendly people. But Sunderland is an unknown place for too many people. A successful bid would put Sunderland on the map.
So imagine how Wearsiders’ chests will swell with pride if named the City of Culture 2021. For so many more people will find out what the folk of Wearside have always known – that Sunderland is a special place.
I fully support Sunderland’s bid to be City of Culture 2021 and I urge you to do so too.
— Ray Spencer, MBE
