The Doncaster, Milton Keynes and Stanley in the Falkland Islands have been granted Queen’s status as a city in a competition held as part of the platinum anniversary celebrations, the cabinet said.
The eight winners of the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honors 2022 also include Bangor in Northern Ireland, Colchester in England, Douglas in the Isle of Man, Dunfermline in Scotland and Wrexham in Wales.
The city status competition has been held in each of the last three anniversary years, with previous winners being Lisburn and Newport (2002) and Chelmsford (2012).
This time the competition was opened for the first time for applications from crown addictions and overseas territories and attracted almost 40 applications.
In addition to demonstrating why their unique communities and distinctive local identity deserve city status, the candidates also had to highlight their royal associations and cultural heritage in front of a group of eight employees.
MP Stephen Barkley, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “What was clear to me during the evaluation process of each candidacy was the pride people felt in their communities, local cultural heritage and the royal family.
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Culture Secretary Nadine Doris said the city’s status was a “huge recognition”, adding: “This competition shows the best of Britain and the Overseas Territories and will act as a lasting legacy of Her Majesty the Queen’s platinum anniversary.”
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Bangor (61,000 inhabitants) in Northern Ireland was a key target for Allied forces during World War II, with Commander-in-Chief Dwight D. Eisenhower addressing 30,000 troops gathered shortly before the ships left for Normandy and the invasion on D. Queen’s Day. and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Bangor Castle in 1961 before noon at the Royal Ulster Yacht Club on the eve of Prince Philip’s race in the regatta. Before that, Edward VII visited in 1903.
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Colchester (122,000 inhabitants) is the first registered settlement in Britain and its first capital, and for the last 165 years has been a garrison town. Firstsite, his contemporary art gallery, was named Museum of the Year by the Art Fund in 2021.
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Doncaster (population 110,000) stressed that its “spirit and resilience of the community was demonstrated during the floods in Doncaster in 2019, when the community came together to provide assistance.” Originally a Roman settlement, it is home to St Leger, founded in 1776 and the oldest classical equestrian race in the world, regularly attended by royal figures from George IV. He has made three previous attempts at city status.
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Douglas (27,000) has ties to the royal family through the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which originated there, with George IV as the first patron and patron of the queen today. His cultural highlights include the annual Manx Music Festival, dating back to 1892, and the Isle of Man Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
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Dunfermline’s most famous son (56,000 people) is probably Andrew Carnegie, whose steel and industry helped build the United States and whose philanthropy marked the beginning of the world’s public library system, according to Dunfermline. His royal connections date back to the reign of Malcolm III, King of Scotland from 1058-1093, when he established his court there.
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Milton Keynes (223,000 inhabitants), a new city created during the Queen’s reign, is described in his candidacy as “the pinnacle of the national post-war planning movement”. Today it has 27 protected areas, 50 monuments, 1,100 buildings with a monument and 270 works of public art.
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Stanley in the Falkland Islands (2,100 people) has been regularly visited by members of the royal family, including Prince William, who spent six weeks there as a search and rescue helicopter pilot. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Falkland Islands conflict.
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Wrexham (42,500 people) boasts the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as a “masterpiece of creative genius”. It is also home to Wrexham Football Club, founded in 1864, and is said to be the third oldest in the United Kingdom and the oldest international field in the world. Over the last decade, Wrexham has become one of the fastest growing shopping centers in the United Kingdom.
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