love middlesbrough e-news

Happy New Year from Love Middlesbrough

Happy New Year from the Love Middlesbrough campaign. We hope you have enjoyed the festive season. We look forward to meeting you at special events and online and sharing with you all of the reasons Middlesbrough is a fantastic place to live, learn, work, invest, visit and play in the coming year!

a look back at 2011

In 2011, Middlesbrough Council submitted a bid for city status on behalf of the people of Middlesbrough, Teesside and the wider Tees Valley. The 25-page document could not begin to do justice to the vibrancy and variety Middlesbrough has to offer.

A key theme of the bid was that it was for and by the people of our area. The contributions made, support given and the campaign around it have been an intrinsic part of our case for Middlesbrough already being a City at Heart. As we await the announcement in the near future, we’d like to take a look back and thank just a few of the contributors to the bid for city status and the Love Middlesbrough campaign.

The hundreds of schoolchildren who wrote letters to the Queen expressing the importance of their future ‘city’ to them.
The young achievers featured in the city bid document who reflect the best of our achievements, ambitions and aspirations for the future.
The 700 schoolchildren who took part in a city-themed Poetry Slam competition.
The activists, ambassadors and champions from the community, voluntary and private sectors who have taken the bid to heart.
The Youth City Bid team who wrote to Ministers and MPs to raise awareness of the bid.
All those from painters and poets to cake makers and composers and everyone in between who have been inspired to paint, write, bake and compose, demonstrating the creativity and innovation inherent in our town to say what city status means to them.
The photographers inspired to capture the images of the town that tell its story. Visit the Love Middlesbrough flickr group to see some of their work.
The businesses providing sponsorship and in-kind support.
Individual supporters – too many to mention at numerous events alongside those who left messages of support on the website. to
More than 3,000 followers on Facebook, and more than 3,000 contributing via Twitter to the Love Middlesbrough campaign.

We have had tremendous support from local celebrities and our political and community leaders. These combined with the voices of the ordinary men, women and children of Teesside - who make Middlesbrough what it is - proclaiming with one voice why Middlesbrough deserves city status.

Gaining city status will make a tremendous difference to Middlesbrough and the surrounding area. Our thanks go to all who have demonstrated the passionate belief we are already indeed a City at Heart.

Enjoy this year in review video courtesy of Middlesbrough Council

join us for these special events

The Band of the Yorkshire Regiment are to perform in a special concert to raise money for soldiers in need and you're invited. The concert is taking place at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Saturday, January 21 starting at 7.30pm.

Tickets to the concert are free. Attendees will have the opportunity on the night to give donations in support of the Yorkshire Regiment Benevolent Fund. The fund helps serving and former soldiers of the regiment in need.

The concert is the culmination of a year-long partnership between Middlesbrough Council and the regiment and has been kindly sponsored by First TransPennine Express which manages Middlesbrough Railway Station.

See the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment this Saturday

100 Beats of the Clock at the Heritage Gallery at Cargo Fleet (Preview Jan 19)

Middlesbrough Business Forum: The Bigger Breakfast (Jan 26)

mima celebrates first 5 years with free family birthday party (Jan 28)

Holocaust service in Middlesbrough (Jan 29)

Sky's Jeff Stelling returns to Teesside for candid talk (Jan 31)

Teesside University staff exhibit paintings on campus (until Jan 31)

Animex 2012 (Feb 6-10)

England v Belgium U21 at the Riverside (Feb 29)

Middlesbrough Town Hall classical season