From the BBC:
“Platinum Jubilee: Eight towns
to be made cities for Platinum Jubilee”
(The Queen visited the Coast
Guard station headquarters in Bangor, Northern Ireland, back in May 2009)
Eight new cities have been named
for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, with at least one in every UK nation - and on
the Falkland Islands and Isle of Man. Milton Keynes in England, Dunfermline in
Scotland, Bangor in Northern Ireland and Wrexham in Wales all get the title. It
is a first for places in an Overseas Territory - Stanley, in the Falklands -
and a crown dependency - Douglas, in the Isle of Man - to win city status. Colchester
and Doncaster complete the list getting the royal honour. The Platinum Jubilee
civic honours competition required applicants to show their cultural heritage
and royal links as well as how their local identity and communities meant they
deserved to be granted city status. The new cities can expect a boost to local
communities and the opening up of new opportunities for people who live there,
the Cabinet Office said. It cited research that suggested previous winner
Perth, in Scotland, saw the local economy expand by 12% in the decade it was
granted city status, after it put them on the international map as a place to
do business.
(Map showing new Jubilee cities)
The last competition to win civic
honours in 2012 marked the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. For the first time this
year, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories were allowed to apply. The
announcement of the latest civic honours takes the number of official cities in
mainland UK to 76, with 55 in England, eight in Scotland, seven in Wales and
six in Northern Ireland. City status is often associated with having a
cathedral, university, or large population, but there are no set rules for
being granted the status, which is awarded by the monarch on advice of
ministers. "It's about the place rather than the numbers," said
government minister Jacob Rees-Mogg when asked about the size of the smaller
places on the list.
The winners and details from
their bids for city status include:
Bangor, County Down, Northern
Ireland
(Due to its location at the mouth
of the Belfast Lough, Bangor was a key site for the Allies during the Second
World War)
In May 1944, Supreme Commander of
Allied Forces Dwight D Eisenhower, who later became US president, gave a speech
to 30,000 assembled troops in Bangor shortly before ships left for Normandy and
the D-Day landings The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited Bangor Castle in
1961 and, after lunching at the Royal Ulster Yacht Club that day, the duke took
part in a regatta race
Colchester, Essex, England
(Colchester Castle was built on
the foundations of a Roman temple)
Colchester, with a population of
119,441, is Britain's first recorded settlement and its first capital. It has
been a garrison town for the past 165 years and for the past 21 years has been
home to 16 Air Assault Brigade, the UK's rapid response force It is the second
Essex town to become a city this year after Southend was given the status in
October following the death of MP Sir David Amess, who often championed its
campaign for city status
Doncaster, South Yorkshire,
England
(The Flying Scotsman locomotive
was built in Doncaster)
Originally a Roman settlement,
Doncaster is almost 2,000 years old. Doncaster and its surrounding boroughs
currently have a population of about 311,000 It is noted for its railway
heritage, with the locomotives Flying Scotsman and Mallard both constructed
there It is also home to the St Leger flat course. Founded in 1776, it is the
oldest classic horse race in the world and has been attended by the Queen and
other royals throughout history
Douglas, Isle of Man
(Douglas is the island's main
port)
The Queen is patron of the Royal
National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) which started in Douglas, which has a
population of 26,677 (2021 census). Its Royal Hall plays host to annual
flagship concerts by the Isle of Man Symphony Orchestra, the Isle of Man Choral
Society and the Manx Last Night of the Proms
Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
(Dunfermline's most famous son is
Andrew Carnegie,whose steel industry helped build America)
Its annual fireworks display
attracts some 30,000 local people, while the Christmas light event packed the
town centre with 10,000 people. Dunfermline's most famous son is Andrew
Carnegie whose steel industry helped build America. His philanthropy started the
world's public library system, and he gave away the equivalent of £65bn in
today's money. Dunfermline, with a population of 58,508 was one of the seats of
the kings of Scotland in the middle ages. Robert the Bruce was buried in
Dunfermline Abbey after his death in 1329.
Milton Keynes,
Buckinghamshire, England
(Milton Keynes is the home of MK
Dons, formed in 2004)
It was created in 1967 to
alleviate housing shortages in overcrowded London. With an urban area
population of 171,750 (2011 census), it has 27 conservation areas, 50 scheduled
monuments, 1,100 listed buildings and 270 works of public art The Open
University, the world's first degree-awarding, distance learning institution,
was set up in Milton Keynes in 1967; and its University Hospital NHS Foundation
Trust established the nation's first independent medical school
Stanley, Falkland Islands
(The Whalebone arch in Stanley
was erected in 1933 to mark a century of British administration)
Members of the Royal Family have
regularly visited the islands, including the late Duke of Edinburgh in 1957. In
2016, the Duke of Cambridge spent six weeks on the islands as a search and
rescue helicopter pilot Holidays and events specific to the islands, which had
a population of 2,458 in 2016 (according to its most recent census), are held
annually – such as Peat Cutting Monday. The sacrifices made during the
Falklands War are also remembered – 2022 marks 40 years since the conflict
Wrexham, north east Wales
(Racecourse ground, Wrexham)
Established in 1864, Wrexham
Football Club is among the oldest professional football clubs in the UK and is
owned by Hollywood stars - the actor Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, creator
of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The area, with a population of 61,603, is
home to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a Unesco World Heritage site
Almost 40 locations submitted
bids for city status when applications opened last year. Chelmsford, in
England, Lisburn in Northern Ireland and Newport in Wales were among previous
winners of the competition for city status - which has taken place during each
of the last three jubilee years. Each new city will receive the award formally
through a Letters Patent, which will be presented later in the year. Meanwhile,
the city of Southampton has won the competition for Lord Mayoralty status -
which means the mayor can be called Lord Mayor - joining the ranks of previous
Jubilee competition winners including Chester, Exeter and Armagh.
^ It’s nice to see new places
included – especially outside Great Britain. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.