At 7.45am on Wednesday, November 20, the Rt. Hon. Maria Miller MP, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport and Phil Redmond, chair of the independent judging panel, announced that Hull would be the next UK City of Culture.
At Hull Truck, where over 200 people had gathered to hear the announcement of the winner, the news was greeted with a collective in-take of breath followed by euphoric celebrations as hope and belief turned to reality. Since then, thousands of people from inside and outside of the city have been celebrating and sharing the news. The regional, national and international media have shone a light on our city’s unique culture and a new song is being sung at the KC Stadium where the home crowd now greet visiting supporters with ‘You’re only here for the culture’!
Despite very tough competition from three great cities, Hull won the title because we demonstrated that we wanted it, that we needed it and that we were ready to deliver a spectacular cultural programme in 2017.
The fantastic support received from members of the public, cultural organisations, businesses and the city’s leadership, was critical to a successful bid. Everyone in the city can be proud of what we have achieved together.
So, on behalf of all involved in leading the work on the bid, many thanks for your support. Every single contribution made a difference and ensured that the judges and other key influencers had the sound of Hull ringing in their ears throughout the bidding process.
We hope you will continue to support Hull 2017 and to work with us to deliver a successful cultural programme in the build-up to and during 2017.
Initial information about the timing and opportunities for you to get involved is set out below. More details will follow in the New Year, when we will also launch a new, monthly e-newsletter to keep you up-to-date with all Hull 2017 news and events.
In the meantime, thank you once again for your support and have a great Christmas and New Year. We are also sending our greetings for the festive season in this e-card based on the highly successful film that formed part of our bid (over 103,000 views!). Do please feel free to share this with your colleagues, family and friends across the city, the country and the world and help to spread a little ‘Hullness’ from the UK City of Culture 2017!
Next steps
As Hull gets ready to deliver UK City of Culture 2017, City of Culture Advisor, Andrew Dixon, has described the preparations as “a marathon, not a sprint”. He said: “Delivery is a complex exercise involving dozens of partners, hundreds of cultural groups and thousands of volunteers. This will take time – and it’s important to get it right.”
Councillor Steven Bayes, the city’s portfolio holder for City of Culture, added: “The foundations we lay now will determine of the success of Hull 2017 and ensure that the cultural programme delivers a lasting legacy for the city and local people. The next few months need to be about maintaining momentum we built up during the bidding process, whilst focusing on the detailed planning work that will be critical to delivering a successful City of Culture year.”
With this in mind, over the next few months the Hull 2017 team will be putting in place:
robust delivery structures including the setting up of a new culture company;
strong partnerships with local agencies, national funders, broadcasters and sponsors that will make Hull 2017 a success at a local, national and international level;
capacity building initiatives for key cultural sectors including training and development for event promoters and producers and an inspirational programme of talks about major events;
a volunteer programme that will build and harness the skills and enthusiasm of local people and deliver a positive legacy for individuals and the city;
effective, joined-up working with other organisations involved in delivering cultural activities in the build-up to 2017;
development of a cultural industries plan in consultation with key organisations in the city.
We’ll also be developing and delivering some new ways to communicate about the plans:
a new, monthly stakeholder newsletter - as an existing partner or supporter, your subscription to the newsletter is automatic but if you have any friends or colleagues who would also like to receive it – please ask them to subscribe using this link (insert link);
‘How we won the bid’ talks and presentations – to be hosted early in the new year;
a new website to call on volunteers, share the build-up programme and keep people informed of our progress – we’ll start the tendering process for this in March;
publishing a summary our bid;
a major event in April to plan the legacy of 2017.
In the meantime, please continue to log onto our web page at www.hullcc.gov.uk/2017Hull, follow us on Twitter @2017Hull or follow Hull City of Culture on Facebook. You could also keep an eye on our media coverage by signing up for a Hull City of Culture Google alert.
Contact us:
All enquiries should be sent to 2017hull@hullcc.gov.uk and wherever possible marked for the attention of the appropriate member of the interim management team, as indicated below:
Pauline Davis, Hull City Council Project Sponsor, with overall responsibility for council-wide co-ordination and planning; capital investment, strategic engagement with the private sector and key public/private sector partnerships
Jon Pywell, City Lead - governance, overall management and administration, city infrastructure
Andrew Dixon, City of Culture Adviser - 2017 cultural programme; fundraising and sponsorship, key national and regional delivery partnerships, broadcasting, creative industries plan
Jacqui Gay, Communications Lead – all communications activity including press, PR, social media and marketing
Therese Rigg, Events and Planning Lead - events and planning
Anthony Yates, Tourism Lead - tourism/destination marketing and visitor economy
Adrian Friedli, Programme Executive - 2017 cultural programme, capacity building and learning
Paul Holloway, Arts Development Lead - 2017 cultural programme and build-up programmes, arts and health.
Please bear with us as we endeavour to respond promptly to your enquiry.
The response to Hull being awarded UK City of Culture status has been absolutely overwhelming. The team are receiving hundreds of emails and telephone calls each week, with queries ranging from programme ideas and marketing proposals to sponsorship approaches and pitches from potential suppliers.
It will take time for us to get through these and any new enquiries - but all will be logged and responded to at the appropriate time. For example, although our volunteer list is now open and we are logging expressions of interest, we will get in touch once we have finalised the details of the volunteer programme.
Once again, thank you and best wishes for Christmas and the New Year
We look forward to working with you in 2014 and beyond.
