Derby hopes its culture club bid will power up industrial mecca

The home of Alstom and Rolls-Royce has often played second fiddle to others, but the city wants to change all that

Derby isn't known as a tourist hotspot. Often overshadowed by nearby Nottingham, bypassed on the road to the Peak District, locals here know the hotels are quietest at weekends when visiting business folk leave.

That hasn't stopped its leaders making a tilt to become UK City of Culture 2025. Bidding to reinvigorate civic pride and economic growth after the fallout from Covid-19, the aim here is to showcase the city's unique industrial heritage as a crucible for the art of manufacturing.