15 January 2010
Carlisle completes next stage in national cultural
competition
A Carlisle contingent has made the
city’s case for a prestigious cultural title in a formal meeting
with competition assessors.
Representatives from the team that devised
Carlisle’s UK City of Culture 2013 bid met with competition
assessors in Altrincham, Cheshire, yesterday (Thursday, 14
January).
Carlisle submitted its initial bid for UK City
of Culture, a Government backed programme to encourage the use of
culture as a catalyst for change, just over a month ago. More than
2,000 local jobs could be created if Carlisle wins the cultural
crown with an exciting programme that includes a feast of music,
arts, spectacular events, and heritage. The team responsible for
putting together the bid reckon that the cultural programme will
cost just £5.5m to deliver and could bring in over £10m in a
year.
The meeting is the next stage in the
assessment process as 14 contenders jockey for the top title. It
provided an opportunity for the Carlisle team to meet the assessors
and clarify points in the bid. The contingent was made up of Ian
McNichol, Director of Carlisle Renaissance, Leader of Carlisle City
Council, Coun. Mike Mitchelson and Julie Tait, of Kendal Arts
International, which delivers the stunning Lakes Alive creative
programme.
Ian McNichol, Director of Carlisle
Renaissance, said: “We know we have a strong bid, one
that’s right for Carlisle, and that can deliver tremendous benefits
for the city. I was delighted to have the chance to meet with the
assessors yesterday, who were keen to understand more detail on
some of the points made in the bid.
“We talked to them about why we believe our
cultural programme will deliver dramatic benefits and a lasting
legacy. Independently verified figures indicate it will pull in
350,000 additional visitors to Carlisle, bringing with them £10m in
extra spending. In time, we expect this to create around 2,000
local jobs.
“As this bid – like culture itself - belongs
to everyone in Carlisle, we’ll make sure everyone with an interest
can read the questions we were asked and the answers we gave.”
Bid clarification
qestions and answers covered at the meeting are now available
online.
The UK City of Culture shortlist is
expected to be announced within weeks, with the final four or five
cities submitting full bids in May. The winner will be announced in
the summer.
Check out Carlisle's initial bid in
our E-NEWS Culture
Special.