Coventry has been named the UK’s next City of Culture – a title it will assume in 2021 and celebrate throughout the year.
The announcement was made live on the BBC’s The One Show on Thursday 7 December, with Coventry fending off competition from Paisley, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Swansea to take the title.
Principal partners in the successful Coventry 2021 bid team include Coventry University, Coventry City Council, University of Warwick, West Midlands Combined Authority and the Wasps Rugby Club.
The team wowed the competition judges earlier this year when they visited Coventry to see what made the city stand out as a candidate for the prestigious title in 2021.
Coventry University’s vice-chancellor, Professor John Latham, said:
“Our city continues to defy expectations. Everyone who helped make us UK City of Culture, including staff at Coventry University, backed the bid with heart and hard work.
“We unlocked a renewed energy and purpose that has already changed Coventry forever and our task now is to share that creativity and civic pride across our region, the whole of the UK and beyond.”
Follow the Twitter feed @Coventry2021 for more news.