Gloucester has been officially recognised as a 'Great Place' after receiving a £1.49million boost.

The city is among 16 places in England that will share £20million of Heritage Lottery and Arts Council funding through the pilot Great Place scheme.

The scheme is aimed at ensuring that investment in culture has a positive impact on jobs, economic performance and health and wellbeing, and that it civic organisations, businesses and communities put culture at the heart of their thinking.

Cllr Lise Noakes, cabinet member for culture and leisure at Gloucester City Council, said: "Gloucester is proud of its past and ambitious for its future and this fantastic vote of confidence from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Council England and Historic England is a real boost.

"There is a huge amount of popular, creative and innovative work going on in Gloucester - artistic, cultural and heritage focused.

"This £1,489,255 will help us do more, do it better and do it quicker than we ever hoped when we launched the city's Cultural Vision and Strategy a year ago.

"The Gloucester Culture Trust is determined to put culture at the heart of the city for the good of all and we have a wonderful team of trustees and partner organisations working hard to make that happen.

"We want Gloucester to be known for its distinctive culture which will be innovative and excellent, quirky and edgy, diverse and community based with a strong focus on young people.

"2017 will be a great year for Gloucester - the Tall Ships Festival, Summer of Music, Arts and Culture (SoMAC) with the Gloucester Carnival at its heart, an ever-expanding History Festival, and another amazing Retro Festival in August.

"With the help of this terrific grant, the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and Historic England and the hard work and determination of the Culture Trust and our partners, the stars really are aligned for a fantastic cultural future."

Ros Kerslake, the chief executive of the Heritage Lottery Fun, said the investment in the 16 cities, towns and villages was a radical idea.

"The aim is to bring together National Lottery investment and local ambition, to make a difference to people across entire communities," she said.

"It's a bold plan and I am looking forward to seeing some innovative and exciting results from these 16 pilot projects."

Punchline is delighted that Gloucester has secured this funding and is confident that the continuing partnerships between the council and private businesses will make it an even better place to live and work.

Is Gloucester pulling away from Cheltenham in terms of festivals, events and regeneration? Email mark@moosemarketingandpr.co.uk