Lost your Town of Culture bid? Learn how you can take unsuccessful bids and turn them into lasting cultural and heritage-led regeneration.

About This Event

Join us at Culture House Sunderland for an inspiring day learning how other places have turned a losing bid into long-term cultural and economic support.

You may not have won the bid, but you still have the vision, partnerships, evidence, and community support generated through the bid.

Across the UK, towns and cities are investing enormous energy and resource into bidding for Town of Culture/City of Culture, raising aspiration and creating new ideas for regeneration and community action. Most of them don’t win – but losing the bid doesn’t need to be the end of the story.

This event will explore how Sunderland turned a losing bid into winning action, harnessing the ambition, partnerships, research, and community energy generated in the bid process and turning it into lasting cultural and heritage-led regeneration, and bring people together to think about plans for their own towns and cities.

Who Should Attend

This event is ideal for:

Local Authorities who have been involved in Town of Culture and City of Culture bids

Wider local authority teams – regeneration, culture, city/town centre, planning and conservation teams.

Cultural and heritage organisations

Anyone with an interest in the community heritage and regeneration

Speakers/Programme

Heritage and Culture: Bringing New Life to Heritage- Tom Frater, Historic England Regional Director: North

Sunderland Culture: Setting the Scene for the City- Nick Maylan, CEO Sunderland Culture

From Hope to Belief to Ambition: Building a Cultural City- Paul Callaghan, Chair, Leighton Group

Dan Shannon, Director, PopRecs CIC

170-175 High St West: The Catalsy for the Regeneration of Sunniside- Martin Hulse, CEO Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust

Business Improvement - Daniel Hattle, Regeneration Manager Sunderland City Council

Project Management of the new Culture House and Other Cultural Projects in Sunderland- Leanne Littlewood, Culture House

Guided Tour of Culture House Sunderland/Heritage Tour of City Centre

Tickets

Non-members: £120

Connect members: £120

Network, Partner and Supporter members: £60

Discounted tickets

Network, Partner and Supporter members can book tickets at a heavily discounted fee. You should have received an email with a code to access the discounted tickets. Click the red 'Get tickets' button and enter your code in the box that says 'Promo Code'. The discounted ticket options will be revealed.

If you did not get the code please email admin@heritagenetwork.org.uk.

If you would like to join the Heritage Network and receive discounted ticket prices alongside lots of other membership benefits please go online to find out more information. Annual membership starts from just £75 for individuals and £125 for not-for-profit organisations and businesses. Heritage Network is the UK's umbrella organisation for not-for-profit organisations that are rescuing, restoring and managing historic buildings and places. Join us today.

Code of conduct

We aim for all of our events to be inclusive, safe spaces where everyone's views and experiences are respected. Please read our code of conduct for more information.

Thank you to our funders at the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this event possible.

Image c. Sunderland City Council

Description supplied by the event organiser.