Derry hopes culture title will transform image It is a city known for the lethal shooting of 13 civilians on a civil rights march on Bloody Sunday in 1972. Now, more than 40 years later, Londonderry hopes to shed its violent past as it becomes the first UK city of culture. This month it begins a year-long programme of cultural events, which aim to stimulate cultural activity, tourism and urban regeneration in one of the UK's most disadvantaged cities. Londonderry beat Norwich, Birmingham and Sheffield to the accolade, which was created after Liverpool's successful stint as European capital of culture in 2008. "This is a huge morale boost for Derry's citizens and a very significant moment for a city, which is still dealing with the legacy of the Troubles," says Sharon O'Connor, Derry city council chief executive. It is a catalyst that can get people and investors to take a second look at Derry. For the first time the Turner Prize, the most important event in the UK's contemporary art calendar, will be held outside England, in Derry. The city will stage performances by the Royal Ballet and the London Symphony Orchestra and host Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, Ireland's national traditional music festival, in Northern Ireland for the first time. "The challenge was to create a balance between world class cultural events and drawing out the fabulous cultural identity of the city," says Shona McCarthy, chief executive of the Culture Company 2013, which is managing the £13m cultural programme. Londonderry, which is known as Derry to nationalists, boasts a rich cultural tradition that includes poet Seamus Heaney, playwright Brian Friel and musician Phil Coulter. It has one of the youngest populations of any European city, with 40 per cent of people aged under 25 years. But the city, which has a Catholic majority, has the highest jobless rate in Northern Ireland, at almost 9 per cent, after years of neglect during decades of Unionist dominance in Northern Ireland during the past century. "The big benefits the city of culture can bring are a belief and self-confidence to the people of Derry themselves while creating a different international view of the city," says Ms McCarthy. That international perception of Northern Ireland will not be helped by rioting in east Belfast during the past few nights over the flying of the Union Jack but recently Londonderry has remained calm. There are signs of progress. Young entrepreneurs, who had left Londonderry to work abroad, are returning to set up businesses. "There is a digital renaissance occurring here with the number of digital businesses in Derry doubling to 120 since 2010," says Philip Gilliland, president of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce. The city was the first in the UK to be completely upgraded to superfast fibre broadband, removing a disadvantage of its peripheral location. The city benefits from technology and creative arts graduates from its Magee university campus and is a partner of Tech City, a cluster of technology businesses in east London, which gives access to skills and funds. "I lived in London for 12 years and came back to establish my record label here in Derry," says Andrew Ferris, founder of independent record label Smalltown America. It was difficult to be seen or heard in London and was expensive. We are growing in Derry and employ eight people. Our acts are getting great opportunities through the city of culture events," he says. The city council believes the cultural programme can generate an extra £500m for the local economy and triple visitor numbers to 1.3m in 2013. Tourism got an immediate boost when Lonely Planet last month listed Derry as one of its top 10 cities worldwide to visit in 2013. Londonderry, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of its city walls this year, is being reshaped with £100m invested on regeneration projects. These include a peace bridge spanning the river Foyle and the symbolic transformation of the former Ebrington army barracks into a cultural centre. "People living in the Creggan looked on the barracks as a symbol of state repression while unionists looked on it as a source of protection," says Kevin Campbell, the Sinn Féin mayor of Londonderry. Now it has become a shared space, which is a sign of the slow transformation taking place in Derry. It was in the nationalist Creggan estate that civil rights protesters gathered on January 30, 1972, to begin a march that endedwith the shootings by British paratroopers. The estate is one of the most disadvantaged in Northern Ireland and has become a stronghold of dissident terrorists opposed to the peace process. The dissidents say the UK city of culture accolade is a way of shoring up British rule in the region. They planted two small bombs last year at the culture company's offices, which did not lead to injuries but raised fears over the ability to disrupt the celebrations. "They will always be a threat as long as they exist but they have very little public support," says Mr Campbell. Derry is not a dangerous place for people to visit.