The Hays Travel Foundation has granted a total of £21,000 over four years to the Sunderland City of Culture bid. This will be used for one of the bid's key projects, 'Generation 21', which is aimed at people who will be 21 in the year 2021.

The idea behind the initiative is to engage young people with culture in the city, allowing them to be actively involved in the bidding process and take ownership of an aspect of the bid. Through this project they get the chance to talk about what they would like to see more of, what they would like to improve and what the city should be like in the future.

There are currently two main Team 21 groups, with between 20-30 young people in each from all across the city. At present, they have been developing their own ideas for activities and events which they will be responsible for planning and organising.

Hays Travel Foundation Founder, John Hays, said: "We're proud to be a Sunderland company employing so many Wearsiders and we're excited by the possibilities a successful bid would bring to the city."

"I believe a successful bid would be hugely beneficial to the city in terms of, confidence, how we're seen from the outside, and of course investment. But the benefits of Sunderland winning the title would be felt around the north east - it is a regional bid."

In addition, Team 21 are working with Northumbria University's Geography department on 'Mapping the City'. By erasing parts of Sunderland which they do not like and replacing them with things they think they need or will want in the future, they have been creating maps of their ideal city. The project gives them a chance to articulate what kind of city they would like to live and work in in the future.