Firms team up to pledge £60k to Derby’s City of Culture 2025 bid

A trio of companies – including Bondholders Cosy Direct and Smith Partnership – have teamed up to pledge £60,000 to help Derby’s UK City of Culture 2025 bid.

They have joined with additives manufacturer Lubrizol to make the pledge – and have set their sights on getting young people on board.

All three firms have each pledged £5,000 over a four-year period to support the bid.

Derby is one of eight longlisted places in the running for the title – and next week it is due to submit its formal bid.

In the meantime, bid organisers have called on local businesses and individuals to pledge money which would help pay for the programme of events and activities should the city is named the winner in May this year.

Cosy Direct, Smith Partnership and Lubrizol say they want to give added value to their support by using their ties with local primary and secondary schools in order to get students involved in shaping the City of Culture programme to ensure that young people have a role in the celebrations too.

Educational equipment supplier Cosy Direct was established in the city 11 years ago and its chief executive Peter Ellse gives 10% of its profits away to good causes every year.

He has promised he will use Cosy Direct’s local connections and its extensive social media reach, which includes more than 14,000 followers on Twitter, to help spread the word among the schools and nurseries it works with.

He said: “I’m thrilled to be making this joint commitment alongside Lubrizol and Smith Partnership.

“Winning the City of Culture 2025 would put the city on the map and allow us to showcase all of the great talent and activities that we have going on here.

“At Cosy we feel it’s only right that young people are involved in that, which is why, as well as a financial commitment, we will all use our reach and connections to ensure that schoolchildren are given the opportunity to play their part too.”

Claire Twells, who is a partner at law firm Smith Partnership, said: “Smith Partnership has always supported culture and community since the inception of the company in 1987.

“We have and will always seek to support children across the city, and we know the importance of education to the development of future generations.

“We hope to strengthen our connections and build new ones within the community on supporting the bid.

“We have given a pledge of financial support to the bid, and we hope that the hard work and dedication of the bid team and sub committees is rewarded by the title being awarded to the city for 2025.”