The team behind Herefordshire's bid to become the UK City of Culture for 2021 said their work will not go to waste after failing to make the shortlist.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced yesterday the five cities that will now finalise their entries before a winner is announced.

And, unfortunately, Herefordshire - which entered as a whole county as opposed to just a city - was not among the select group featuring Swansea, Coventry, Stoke, Paisley and Sunderland.

The Herefordshire Cultural Partnership (HCP), the team who submitted the bid, expressed their disappointment but also acknowledged that the whole process had been an outstanding measure of partnership and collaboration working at its best.

Roger Morgan, Chair of Herefordshire Cultural Partnership (HCP) added: “We are proud of our achievements that have come from this highly competitive process.

"It has been extraordinary seeing the drive and focus from across the county, and the many who came together to make a compelling bid for the whole of Herefordshire.

"This work will not go wasted as we continue to celebrate Herefordshire’s rich cultural offering and seek out more opportunities for the county.”

HCP has already been awarded significant funding to run the national Great Places project in Herefordshire from The Heritage Lottery Fund, working with Arts Council England and Historic England.

HCP will continue to meet as a partnership and look for new opportunities as well as being committed to developing the vision and cultural strategy for Herefordshire for the next 10 years.

They say their ambition to work together, to benefit all who live, work and visit Herefordshire remains as strong as ever.

And the group added that the best way to keep in touch with all the "great work going on" is to visit the website at www.herefordcityofculture.org and sign-up for their regular newsletter.