Liverpool
City Council has launched a competition to find the area’s most cultured taxi
drivers in time for 2008, when the city becomes the European Capital of
Culture.
Drivers
will be expected to wax lyrical about Liverpool’s cultural hotspots, including theatres,
galleries and museums, as well as the city’s biennial arts festival.
The
aim is to boost the experience of tourists visiting Liverpool by making cabbies
more knowledgeable about the city’s rich cultural heritage.
In
return for their efforts, the top 10 most cultured cabbies will be officially
recognised with new Capital of Culture 2008 branding for their cabs.
Councillor
Warren Bradley, Liverpool City Council’s executive member for leisure, said:
"On the road to 2008, we need to make sure Liverpool moves into top gear
as a global destination for ‘culture vultures’.
“The
first impression visitors get of the city needs to be a good one, and cab
drivers are among the people tourists are most likely to meet.
“If
we try to make cabbies more aware of Liverpool’s rich cultural heritage, we
will really put the city in the driving seat with visitors," he said.
Drivers
taking part in the voluntary project will be asked to answer a series of
questions on culture, and will then be interviewed by a panel from the
Liverpool Culture Company.
Among
other questions, the application form asks cabbies to name two of Liverpool’s
National Museums and the new media arts centre on Wood Street.
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Additionally,
they will be asked to explain why they deserve the title of Liverpool’s most
cultured cabbie.
