Coventry has recently been announced as the third UK City of Culture.

As part of the project, they are also eligible for a £3million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“The bid impressed the judges with its focus on youth, diversity and the scale of impact not only in Coventry but across the UK as a whole.”

The UK City of Culture is a project developed by the UK government, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and was inspired by the European Capital of Culture.

“The overall aim of the UK City of Culture programme is to encourage the use of culture and creativity as a catalyst for change, to promote the development of new partnerships and to encourage ambition, innovation and inspiration in cultural and creative activity.” – DCMS

Hull was the City of Culture for 2017 and as the year reaches its end, they are reflecting on the successes of the project. They ran a series of cultural events and activities throughout the year, some showcasing emerging talent and creatives in the area. Hull has seen a vast amount of investment, development and regeneration but the question of the moment is: will the legacy last?

One of the year’s success stories is Kofi Smiles (@Kofi_Smiles), a 28 year old from Hull, who was awarded the BBC Face of Hull 2017. He has been covering the year for the BBC on both national and local radio and TV. His exposure through the BBC has helped him to gain value skills and knowledge in the media industry and he has enjoyed every minute of it.

Congratulations @Coventry2021 😜! All I can say is that you guys are in for a siiiiiick time. Dopeness awaits you 🤙🏿🤙🏿🤙🏿🤙🏿! Run with it! @BBCCovWarks #Coventry2021 #cityofculture2021 pic.twitter.com/Vn14clapQL

— TheSmileMaker 🌱⊗ (@Kofi_Smiles) December 7, 2017

You’ll be able to catch up with his summary of the year later on this month over on BBC iPlayer.