Lancashire fails in bid to become UK City of Culture 2025

In an announcement by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on Thursday, it was revealed that the county had not made the longlist of locations through to the final stage of the process.

Chair of L2025 and Marketing Lancashire, Tony Attard, said: “We are naturally disappointed at not making it to the final stage but to have got the bid this far is testament to the hard work and vision of all those involved.

“The process of bidding has already left a legacy, bringing regional and national media attention to the county, and we intend to build on that profile.

"We also believe that Lancashire’s bid was the catalyst for DCMS to broaden the guidelines for the UK City of Culture competition, encouraging counties and groups of towns to bid."

Now Lancashire’s bid to become UK City of Culture in 2025 is looking to evolve in purpose and direction, as Mr Attard said the failure to make it to the final round was the 'beginning, not the end'.

He added: “We are so grateful to all the stakeholders that have supported us on this journey.

"The connections made will not go to waste and the enthusiasm harnessed will bring other opportunities moving forward.

“Lancashire is a richly diverse community and deserves recognition to promote its amazing array of arts and culture.

"We have new partnerships in place to increase collaboration and drive greater engagement, and we have an online community platform ready to launch to help take the conversation forwards.

"This is the beginning, not the end.

"We have begun a significant journey and now we need to see where that takes us.”

The Lancashire 2025 bid team has been driven by a strategic partnership of local councils, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and UClan and has been working for almost three years to put the county and its culture firmly on the map.

The longlisted areas - Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Bradford, Cornwall, County Durham, Derby, Southampton, Stirling and Wrexham County Borough - include three county bidders.   

Tony Attard said he believed that Lancashire’s early move had been instrumental in encouraging the DCMS to broaden the range of areas that could enter the competition.