Can culture cure the Highland population problem?

It has previously raised the profile and prospects of places such as Hull, Coventry and Bradford, and now Inverness and the Highlands are bidding to become the latest holder of the UK City of Culture title.

The programme was conceived in 2009 by Andy Burnham when he was Labour culture secretary, and it has subsequently harnessed the arts to generate significant economic value, boost visitor numbers and instil civic pride.

Prosper recently welcomed members from sectors including renewable energy, tourism, food and drink, the creative industries and the public sector to meet the Inverness-Highland City of Culture bid team and Highland Council.

The discussion was not just about putting on bigger and better arts events. It was about how culture could help shape the wider future of the region, because we do not need to convince people that this is a beautiful place to visit. Our challenge is persuading them that it is a wonderful place to live.

Our population is ageing. The number of people aged 75 and over has increased by almost 80 per cent since 2001, while the number of children aged 15 and under has fallen by 10 per cent over the same period.

While the focus may be on dramatic landscapes, major investment opportunities have the potential to create thousands of new jobs in industries such as renewables. But these jobs will need to be filled by active, full-time residents. Perhaps that is where this bid could make the greatest difference.

If it helps us tell a richer story about the region – not simply as a place of spectacular landscapes but as a place of opportunity and creativity – it could change perceptions far beyond 2029.

So maybe, if the bid succeeds, the real City of Culture prize for our region would not simply be the year itself. Maybe it would be about putting people back at the heart of the Highland story.

This article was originally published in the Inverness Courier