Bradford crowned UK City of Culture
Bradford has been crowned the UK City of Culture 2025. The previous title belonged to Coventry, who was the UK City of Culture 2021. This city will receive £275,000 for its initial funding, this resource will help develop memorable cultural events and activities.
Never done before, the UK City of Culture competition, will be distributing the runners up a grant of £125,000 each to support the bidding team in taking forward some of the most exciting elements of the bid. The runners up are County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough.
The winner was confirmed by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries which was based on guidance from a panel of experts led by TV writer-producer Sir Phil Redmond.
Dorries shared how vital this will be for the public to experience: "Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep".
The Culture Secretary expressed her gratitude to the runners up: "There was stiff competition and I thank County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough for their excellent bids"
The judges were fascinated by Bradford's bid as it demonstrated a clear focus on celebrating the area, as well as how to bring new opportunities to the forefront.
Sir Phil Redmond, Chair of the Independent Advisory Panel shared how the deciding the winner of the City of Culture is made: "The selection is never about whether one bid is better than another, it is more that one bid has the potential to make a bigger and deliverable impact."