Sign up to email newsletters

Ay up, duck - your city needs you! UK City of Culture 2021 final decision

Stoke-on-Trent City Council sent this bulletin at 01-12-2017 01:03 PM GMT

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

Your city needs you! Help us win UK City of Culture 2021 for Stoke-on-Trent

Ay up, duck... it’s the final countdown! We’re getting extremely close to the time when we’ll find out whether Stoke-on-Trent will become UK City of Culture 2021 – and we need your help on the last, big push.

We’ve created a list of things we need everyone to do to let the judges know why our great city should win. These are simple bits of support – but they really could make a difference.

In particular, we want to create a massive buzz on social media on Wednesday, December 6, when we present to the judges in Hull. There’s information below on what’s happening and what you can do to bang the drum about Stoke-on-Trent.

UK City of Culture 2021 is something that could change Stoke-on-Trent forever – including a fantastic amount of investment and jobs. So we need everyone from across the city to work together, shout loud, and show the country what we’re made of. If there was ever a time to be proud of your potteries, oatcakes, Stokie dialect, sports teams, parks, museums, theatres, venues, organisations, heritage, and so much more - this is it!

The announcement of who will be UK City of Culture 2021 will be made live on the One Show, on BBC One from 7pm on Thursday, December 7.

Thank you for all of your help to make the UK City of Culture 2021 bid such a success - the city couldn't have done it without you and it has and will make a real difference to Stoke-on-Trent.

Please read through the steps below and do as much as you can. Use #sot2021, #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS, share your love of this city, and enjoy the next few days – they’re going to be extremely exciting!

Could you please share this across your organisations, with staff, and with partners/other stakeholders. Get friends, family, colleagues and everyone else you know to get involved. Share this email with as many people as possible!

Here's what we need you to do..

TAKE OVER SOCIAL MEDIA ON WEDNESDAY

• Help us take over social media on judging day, Wednesday, December 6, and post as much as possible about what makes Stoke-on-Trent great – make sure you use #sot2021 (our hashtag), #StokeonTrent and #CityofCulture2021 (the @DCMS hashtags) and tag in @DCMS. We want to keep this going all day – please tell everyone you know to do the same!

• When we’re with the judges, we also want to have an hour where as many people as possible share their reasons why Stoke-on-Trent should win. So please help us by shouting loud and proud on social media between 12pm and 1pm on Wednesday, December 6 – using #sot2021, #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS. And remember to still continue posting throughout the day/week.

• Follow the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (@DCMS) social media coverage of Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday, December 6 - when they’ll be shining a spotlight on us - using #sot2021, #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS.

SHARE OUR OFFICIAL BID FILM

• Share our new official bid film from Monday, December 4 – it will be on our YouTube channel. Watch out for details on the sot2021 Twitter and Facebook feeds - use #sot2021, #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS.

CREATE A BUZZ ON SOCIAL MEDIA THROUGHOUT THE WEEK

• Follow us on Twitter @sot2021 and get everyone you know to do the same – we want to be the city with the most followers.

• Like us at facebook.com/sot2021 and get everyone you know to do the same – we want to be the city with the most likes.

• Show your support and make sure you use #sot2021 – from Monday through to Thursday in the run-up to the decision. Keep the buzz going, share content old and new, and retweet/share what others post. Also use #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS.

WATCH THE COVERAGE

• Tune in to a feature about Stoke-on-Trent’s bid on the Six O’clock News on BBC One on Wednesday, December 6 – share your thoughts on social media using #sot2021, #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS.

• See the One Show feature about all the bidding cities on BBC One from 7pm on Wednesday, December 6 – and share your thoughts on social media using #sot2021, #StokeonTrent, #CityofCulture2021, and tag in @DCMS.

• Watch for the announcement, live on the One Show on BBC One at 7pm on Thursday, December 7.

SHARE THIS EMAIL - TELL EVERYONE!

Please share this across your organisations, with staff, and with partners/other stakeholders. Get friends, family, colleagues and everyone else you know to do all of the above. Share this email with as many people as possible!

Thank you!

We’d like to thank everyone who’s been involved in the bid – in any way – for their support. It’s been an amazing thing for Stoke-on-Trent and, whatever the result, you’ve done us proud.

There are so many inspiring and positive things which have been created by the process and many more to come in the future.

Having said that, let's win this!

Together, we make the city.

What's next?

Monday, December 4 – We’ll share our new official bid film from Monday, December 4, on our YouTube channel, with details on the sot2021 Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Tuesday, December 5 – Stoke-on-Trent’s UK City of Culture 2021 team arrive in Hull ahead of their presentation and the decision.

Wednesday, December 6 - Everyone will take over social media on judging day and post as much as possible about what makes Stoke-on-Trent great.

Wednesday, December 6 - The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (@DCMS) will use social media coverage to highlight Stoke-on-Trent.

Wednesday, December 6, 12pm to 1.30pm - Stoke-on-Trent’s UK City of Culture 2021 team makes a presentation to the judges in Hull, saying why we should win.

Wednesday, December 6, 6pm - A feature about Stoke-on-Trent’s bid will be shown on the Six O’clock News on BBC One.

Wednesday, December 6, 7pm – A feature about all the bidding cities will be shown on the One Show, BBC One.

Thursday, December 7, around midday - The interview process will be completed for all shortlisted cities.

Thursday, December 7, 7pm - The announcement about who will be UK City of Culture 2021 will be made live on the One Show on BBC One.

In other news...

Face of Stoke-on-Trent

A 23-year-old who used the YMCA to help to turn his life around has been chosen as the Face of Stoke-on-Trent. Jozef Clark, of Hanley, was one of 3,550 people who submitted a picture for the free outdoor exhibition in the city centre. Now his face will be the main, iconic image for the artwork, which is made up of photographs of people from across Stoke-on-Trent. The 172-square-foot mosaic has been installed on the electricity substation in Lichfield Street near Hanley Town Hall. There are also 20 featured faces used at the nearby former Harvey’s building on the corner of Tontine Street and Old Hall Street. A digital version of the artwork is available at faceofsot2021.com. The People’s Picture - run by award-winning artist Helen Marshall - was commissioned to create the artwork as part of the bid to become UK City of Culture 2021.

Materials Lab event

On Thursday, November 23, Pottery Throw Down judge, Keith Brymer Jones, and a host of household names in ceramics and creative arts, threw a pot at a special event held in London to promote the sot2021 bid. The event, which was held at Materials Lab in Mayfair, London was arranged as a celebration of Stoke-on-Trent’s creative heritage – with the city being home to global household names such as Emma Bridgewater, Wedgwood, Burleigh, Dudson and Steelite. The event was hosted by Stoke-on-Trent based Johnson’s Tiles to highlight how ceramics is taking the creative industry by storm in the UK and to give the people of London a small taster of the bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021. For more details, please click here.

Royal visit

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Stoke-on-Trent on Tuesday for a tour that included some of the city’s most iconic cultural sites. They went to the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. The Prince then visited Bethesda Chapel, to hear more about efforts to restore the iconic chapel, and Middleport Pottery in his role as patron of The United Kingdom Heritage Building Preservation Trust. The Duchess, who is patron of The National Literacy Trust, visited Stoke City Football Club at the Bet365 Stadium, to meet 200 schoolchildren taking part in reading activities. To find out more about the visit, see our coverage on Twitter @sot2021.

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery investment

A multi-million pound museum investment has been announced as part of Stoke-on-Trent’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021. The project would see £6m of investment to develop The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. It would also see the museum’s Spitfire – the most iconic fighter aircraft ever made, designed by Reginald Mitchell who went to school in the city – benefit from a £150,000 restoration project. For more details, please click.

Westminster reception

MPs, business leaders and celebrities from across Staffordshire and Cheshire heard how Stoke-on-Trent winning the UK City of Culture 2021 competition would benefit the whole region. Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy hosted a reception on November 27 for more than 40 guests at Westminster Hall, ahead of the naming of the winning city next week. Leaders from across the region attended the event including Stoke-on-Trent MPs Jack Brereton, Ruth Smeeth and Gareth Snell. MPs from around Staffordshire, including Amanda Milling MP were also present alongside local council leaders including acting chief executive Kath O’Dwyer, Newcastle-under-Lyme Mayor Simon White and Stoke-on-Trent Lord Mayor Ross Irving. For more information, please click here.

Duck tour

We are taking Tim Beak, our #sot2021 space duck, on tour across the city! Our giant 30ft inflatable duck will be out attending various events and meeting his fans in the run up to our presentation to the judging panel in Hull. This is your chance to grab your own duck and some sot2021 merchandise to show your support for Stoke-on-Trent’s UK City of Culture bid.

Head to:

• Burslem Christmas Lights Switch-on - Friday 1 December, 5pm - 7.30pm

• Stoke City (Vs Swansea) - Saturday 2 December, 2pm - 3pm

• Hanley Fire Station Christmas Market - Sunday 3 December, 10am - 3pm

• Wedgwood Christmas Market - Friday 8 December, 11.30am - 8.30pm

For more information, please click here.

For more news, visit sot2021.com/news.

For more information about the bid, please visit sot2021.com. You can also follow the city’s bid on Twitter @sot2021 and like the Facebook page at facebook.com/sot2021.