Prominent figures including author and broadcaster Stephen Fry and Alice Macdonald MP joined forces with local government, businesses, cultural organisations, and the UK National Commission for UNESCO, to launch an ambitious new strategy for Norwich UNESCO City of Literature. The five-year plan, ‘Writing the Future: Norwich UNESCO City of Literature 2025–30’, sets out a bold vision to make Norwich a city where reading, writing, and their lifelong benefits are championed and accessible to all.
Developed through over 80 consultations with creative education partners, Norwich City Council, bookshops, libraries, publishers, and others, the strategy will be delivered by the National Centre for Writing (based at Dragon Hall) with Norwich Business Improvement District, the University of East Anglia, Norwich City Council, and Norfolk County Council Library Services.
The ‘Writing the Future: Norwich UNESCO City of Literature 2025–30’ strategy is built around four thematic priorities:
‘Writing the Future’ makes clear that success depends on collective action, with organisations and individuals working together to nurture a culture of reading and writing for pleasure. New initiatives announced include:
In welcoming the strategy:
Alice Macdonald MP for Norwich North said,
‘Norwich is a thriving centre of creativity and innovation and being England’s first UNESCO City of Literature is at the heart of this. We know reading and writing are the bedrock of a child’s future life chances. This new strategy shows how reading for pleasure relates to the skills agenda and could promote inclusive economic growth in Norwich and Norfolk. The guiding principle is that culture, reading and writing are for everyone. I warmly welcome it, and I look forward to working with partners to help realise the full potential of Norwich as a proud member of the global UNESCO Creative Cities Network.’
Peggy Hughes, CEO at National Centre for Writing said,
‘This strategy celebrates strengths, acknowledges challenges, and, by giving us a powerful and shared focal point to unite the city’s talents and resources, invites us all to lean forward together into positive solutions. The action plan has been informed by deep conversation and consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders and advocates for reading, writing, education, creativity and place-making (to whom we’re extremely grateful), and is underpinned by evidence to guide decisions around key priorities: via this prized UNESCO vehicle we want to change the city’s prospects for the better and have conversations together about the things that matter to us all today.’
‘Norwich may be small in geography, which allows for tight and true collaboration, but we’re very big in ambition for our future, ready to take action for positive change.’
James Bridge, Chief Executive and Secretary-General of the UK National Commission for UNESCO said,
"‘Norwich's status as a UNESCO Creative City of Literature shows how it's globally recognised for its outstanding contribution to writing. It is fitting in this 80th anniversary year of the founding of UNESCO in the UK that Norwich is launching its new strategy. The ‘Writing the Future’ plan is grounded in the community and helps connect the local to the global. It is an example of best practice within the international network of UNESCO sites.
Norwich's dedication to literature and ‘doing things differently’ (not least via its UNESCO university chair at UEA in Adult Literacy & Learning for Social Transformation) is another example of why it's a key member of the UNESCO family.’
