Arts groups say City of Culture bid is 'exciting'

A bid for Peterborough to become City of Culture in 2029 would "bring people together" and "invite investment" to the area, arts organisations have said.

It comes as Peterborough City Council submitted an expression of interest to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to formally enter the national competition.

This process would bring civic leadership, grassroots voices, education and communities into a collaborative ambition for the city, the local authority said.

Louise Chantal, the director at performing arts venue The Cresset, said: "Just the process of doing the bid will be an exciting challenge for all the cultural and social organisations in the city."

The UK City of Culture competition, run by the DCMS, invites cities, towns, regions and groups of places to present a vision for culture-led transformation.

The DCMS said the competition aimed to help communities use culture to drive growth, create opportunities and build pride and social cohesion.

"The bid will reignite imagination, bring people together [and] create interesting partnerships," Chantal said.

"There has never been a better time to put in a bid.

"The Cresset will help in any way we can to bring this prestigious and exciting opportunity back to the city," she added.

Stephanie Peachey, the director at Peterborough Cultural Partnership for Children and Young People, called the bid a "bold and timely moment" for the city.

"As one of the UK's youngest cities, this opportunity has the potential to be truly transformational for children and young people.

"It offers a platform to amplify young voices, to be led and challenged by them, and to grow new forms of creative leadership that reflect Peterborough's rich diversity," she said.

Karima Shah, from Diaspora Arts, said the City of Culture bid could offer a boost to grassroots organisations.

"There's been such heavy disinvestment in arts over the last few years that any investment for community arts and developing more cultural activities is highly needed and a highly welcome endeavour," she said.

"It would be good to see it filtered down to the people, to areas of the most need that could do with uplifting with the arts and culture," she added.

Toby Wood, the vice-chair for Peterborough Civic Society, said the city "has so much to offer and is often undervalued and underappreciated".

"Peterborough Civic Society believes that the City of Culture 2029 bid is entirely possible.

"Peterborough's bid is like a racing car – we have all the component parts, it's just a matter of getting the right mechanics and drivers to make the bid a winner," he said.

Paul Collings, from Kindred Drama, which runs drama workshops for young people in the city, said: "Anything that raises the profile of the arts in the city has to be worth backing.

"I hope it will not only boost opportunities for the young people in the city, but also encourage those young people that have had to move elsewhere to pursue their careers in the arts sector, to come back and share their work."

On Monday Andrew Pakes, the MP for Peterborough, said the bid could "boost tourism and the city's local economy".

Shabina Qayyum, the leader of Peterborough City Council, said: "This shows we are serious about putting Peterborough on the map.

"I see us as one of the richest cities in terms of our cultural and heritage assets outside of London.

"We will no longer be seen as the poorer sibling of other cities in our region for our ambition and vision."

Swindon, Plymouth and Blackpool have also entered the race for City of Culture 2029 so far, with entries closing on 8 February.

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