In 2004 the Millennium Commission and Arts Council England created the Urban Cultural Programme - an initiative that built on the successful European Capital of Culture 2008 competition which generated huge support in all sectors of the community. Nineteen areas across the UK received grants totalling £19.5 million they were: Belfast, Birmingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Bradford (for five Yorkshire cities including Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York), Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Canterbury and East Kent, Cardiff, Inverness and the Highlands, Liverpool, London Leaside (Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets), London South East (Lewisham, Greenwich), Manchester, NewcastleGateshead, Norwich, Oxford, South Lanarkshire, Swansea and the Three Cities (Derby, Leicester, Nottingham). From its launch in 2004 to its completion in 2006, the Urban Cultural Programme has covered a diverse range of creative, innovative and inclusive projects involving some 475,000 participants, 46,000 artists, and seen by some 14 million people. Two of the key programming themes have been large scale outdoor celebratory events and festivals on one hand and smaller scale participatory activities on the other. Many programmes also featured events with an international link and activities targeted towards hard to reach groups. The Department commissioned a full evaluation report on the programme from Leisure Futures consultants. To see the report, CLICK HERE

http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Publications/archive_2007/urban_cultural_programme.htm