St Helens is said to have taken a “major step forward” in being put on the map for its arts and culture.

The Liverpool City Region area received the news that it has not reached the final stage in its bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North but remains determined as it takes on other cultural funding opportunities.

Following the government’s announcement that Blackpool, Bradford, Newcastle-Gateshead and Sheffield remain in the running to host a two-month celebration of art, culture and design across the North in 2018, Councillor Jeanie Bell, a cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, arts and culture in St Helens, says: “While I’m saddened to hear that we didn’t get shortlisted, this is a major step forward in putting St Helens on the map and showing real ambition as a borough.

“Feedback from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport  praised the council’s clear commitment and the good range of partner arts organisations locally, but we understand that the bid was hindered due to a lack of major event-hosting venues.

“We made a passionate case for using our town centre as a venue for open engagement in arts and culture, and we saw some real strengths in that. But we press on! This was just one strand of our plans to raise the ambition of St Helens.”

Cllr Bell’s comments follow the recent allocation of Arts Council England Ambition Award funding to the local authority’s creative partner Heart of Glass, which is to receive £487,500.

Meanwhile St Helens Council’s Cultural Hubs Arts in Libraries programme is in the running in the art category of the National Lottery Awards.

Cllr Bell adds: “It’s already beaten off stiff competition from over 600 organisations across the nation to be one of seven finalists in the running for this prestigious award.

“I am incredibly proud of the work that has gone in to [the Great Exhibition of the North] bid by all involved. Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted, it has been exciting and invigorating and has demonstrated a huge commitment from the council.

“We’ve proven that we are here and ready to compete on the national stage and our aim remains the same ­ to be a centre of excellence for socially engaged arts and cultural practice.”

Related posts:

Arts should be seen as ‘key’ to city growth despite Brexit, says FACT Call for artists and photographers to enter North West event LightNight Liverpool highlight: Rotation Eighteen269 at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Liverpool 2018 celebrations promise ‘incredible time’ for city First public art show by Andrew Marr to open in Liverpool 60th John Moores Painting Prize exhibition announced