Hereford’s bid for City of Culture 2021 officially launched on Monday, June 27th, with a new website and a ‘Call to Action’ for Herefordshire’s residents to get behind the bid and details of how to get involved.

The Hereford Bid is a first of its kind, being led by a dynamic consortium of cultural organisations and businesses, and will include towns and villages from across the entire county.

One of the many groups involved in the bid is the artists’ collective Made in Ross, based in the market house in Ross-on-Wye. They contributed to a BBC film earlier this year, with presenter Nick Higham, who said that the bid stands out because it is a countywide bid.

Eleanor Kercher, Chair of Made in Ross, had also been filmed in the garden of her Ross home where she makes things out of green wood on a home-made lathe.

Hereford’s bid to become a City of Culture is being co-ordinated by The Courtyard Theatre and Herefordshire Council and they hope that by involving the whole county they will show that Herefordshire is a great place to work and live and stay.

Artists, such as those based at Made in Ross, will be included in the bid to demonstrate the variety of how the arts benefit the community.

Ian Archer, the chief executive of Hereford’s Courtyard Arts Centre, said in the film that the city of culture bid would stretch to the very borders of Herefordshire, “so we can bring the market towns into the city and take the city out to the market towns”.

The organisations behind the initiative believe culture is key to the growth and prosperity of the city and the region. They believe that Hereford is at a tipping point;  winning City of Culture would turbo-charge existing cultural activity, help underpin success for the hugely ambitious new university as well as many other initiatives across the city; driving economic growth, raising the profile of Hereford on the national and international map and making it more attractive to its visitors and new residents.

The consortium will submit an application to the DCMS Easter 2017

Roger Morgan, Chairman of Hereford 2021, said: “There has been an overwhelming response to Hereford going for City of Culture 2021. If nothing else it is bringing us all together as one county.

“The next few months will be crucial to make sure that our bid is unique, presenting what Herefordshire would do if we won the City of Culture status.

“One of the ways that you can show support is to download an ‘I back the bid’ poster from the new website and display it anywhere relevant with footfall to spread the word as far and wide as possible, and do ‘like’ our Facebook and Twitter pages

“Together it can be possible to create a new cultural Mappa Mundi with Herefordshire at its heart - it’s already been an adventure, and we would like everyone to get involved and help take it the next level”.

To find out how to get involved log on to www.herefordcityofculture.org