Despite the mist and rain, Swansea gave a warm welcome to the man behind Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks as he visited the city as part of the judging panel for the city’s UK City of Culture 2021 bid.
Phil Redmond and the judging panel, which is visiting all the shortlisted cities including Coventry, Paisley, Stoke and Sunderland, enjoyed a cultural tour of the city, including a bus tour along Oystermouth Road, to take in Swansea Bay’s natural beauty. They also headed to Pantycelyn Road for a panoramic view of the city and heard about Swansea’s industrial heritage and ‘Team Swansea’s’ ambitions to make sure the positive effects of a successful culture bid reaches every community in Swansea. The judges also enjoyed some time at Swansea’s Volcano Theatre and at the flagship Glynn Vivian Art Gallery. Some of the party then reflected on their visit to Swansea as they came across the arresting sight of the Swansea 2021 reflective mirrored cube.
During the tour, the visitors got to meet many members of the Team behind the Swansea 2021 bid including arts and cultural leaders, creative professionals, students and local businesses and organisations.
Councillor Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said: “This was the first time the UK City of Culture judges have visited Swansea as part of this important UK City of Culture judging process and we were pleased to be able showcase our city and our people – even if the weather didn’t play ball! We are very proud of the cultural riches, the natural beauty and the strong community spirit we have here in Swansea and we were keen to show the judges the fine bedrock we have to build upon and the potential we have, if we win this important bid, to create a cultural beacon in this part of the world.
“The visit was also an important opportunity for the judges to see the groundswell of support Swansea 2021 has attracted, both on the streets and across the Swansea 2021 Facebook and Twitter accounts, so I would like to say thank you on behalf of Team Swansea to the public, for taking Swansea 2021 to its heart.”
Once the judges have visited all the finalist cities the panel will deliberate, before delivering their decision in Hull in December.