Bid Director for Southampton 2025

CLAIRE WHITAKER will lead Southampton's bid to be UK City of Culture in 2025.

She is Director of live music and cultural events organisation Serious, which worked with Hull and Coventry on their City of Culture programmes. Whitaker has also worked on the 2012 Cultural Olympiad and has gained "considerable experience and skills in diversity, inclusion and partnership working" over the past 20 years, Southampton City Council says.

"By building on Southampton’s considerable strengths and bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together, we can develop something very special, with lasting cultural, social and economic benefit to the City and the wider region," Whitaker said.