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Durham culture bid gathering pace

A Durham councilor has heaped praise on the huge amount support the city has received its bid to be the UK’s first City of Culture in 2013.

With just days to go before initial bids are submitted to the government, the total number backing Durham has soared over the 27,000 mark, with a massive following from the city and towns and villages throughout the county.

Councillor Simon Henig, Leader of Durham City Council, said: “This huge groundswell of support is absolutely terrific.

“To have so many people from all over Durham, the region and across the UK behind us is a measure of just how much our bid means to everyone.”

According to Cllr Henig, over 4,000 people from the region signed up during last month’s Lumiere winter light festival alone.

In addition, people from towns and cities across the UK and in Europe, including Paris, Prague and Madrid, are also backing the bid along with signatures from countries worldwide such as Guatemala, Australia, India, Canada, Singapore and Egypt.

“At the last count, 27,778 people had signed up to support the bid but we want to push the total even higher. The more people who sign up, the greater our chances of success will be,” added Cllr Henig.

“Among our leading backers are towns such as Crook, Sedgefield, Ferryhill and Peterlee but every single vote registered at www.durhamcityofculture.co.uk is vitally important.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .