THE positives and benefits that would have come to County Durham had it landed the City of Culture 2025 title would have been “unparalleled” according to those behind the region’s bid.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries made the announcement live on the BBC’s The One Show that Bradford beat fellow finalists County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham to the title.

Hundreds of people connected to the County Durham bid gathered at Beamish Museum to watch the announcement. 

Read more: North East and North Yorkshire to see heavy rain, hail and thunder

But despite the setback, the region's leading political and industry figures were full of praise and we can "still celebrate all of the great culture in our region".

Ms Dorries said the standard of entries this year was “phenomenal”.

Asked what she wanted to say to the four shortlisted cities, she said: “I think I’d like to say thank you because everybody has worked exceptionally hard.

“The standard was phenomenal and, for the first time ever, this year we’re awarding a prize to the runners up. It’s not been done before but the standard was so high, we felt we had to so no-one’s going home empty-handed. Those who don’t win will be going home with £125,000.”

According to the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, who are responsible with dishing out the funds and running the City of Culture title, the Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 used the title to transform the city through a year-long cultural programme, engaging an audience of over one million.

The Northern Echo: Durham Miners' Hall. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.Durham Miners' Hall. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.

The Previous winners, including Hull and Derry-Londonderry, have also shown the huge economic benefits the title can bring.

Hull received £15 million in government investment to help build a legacy, and £18 million of government funding in Coventry has led to a total of £172 million inward investment, funding music concerts, the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery, a new children’s play area in the centre of the city, and improvements to public transport.

Bid director of County Durham, Alison Clark, has previously set out what the accolade would mean -including the fact that it would attract more than 15 million visitors, inject hundreds of millions of pounds into our economy and create and safeguard thousands of jobs.

The Northern Echo: Kynren in Bishop Auckland. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.Kynren in Bishop Auckland. Picture: NORTHERN ECHO.

For the first time this year, the eight longlisted winners received a £40,000 grant to strengthen their applications. They included Cornwall, Derby, Stirling and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.

Since winning the title, Coventry has seen more than £172 million invested in music concerts and the UK’s first permanent immersive digital art gallery, as well as a further £500 million for the city’s regeneration, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054