A Birmingham paper produced a special edition to try to convince judges that the city is worthy of the title Capital of Culture.

The Post and Mail put it together as a special publication to hand out to judges at the end of their visit to the city.

It featured some of the people and places the judges were unable to visit during their day in Birmingham.

Mik Barton, the bid team's media manager, said: "The day went very well and the Post and Mail supplement was a nice final touch for the judges.

"It was something a bit different. We had a local comedian playing a Brummy housewife who handed the papers out to the judges.

"On a practical note, it was written by Post and Mail staff and showed parts of the city that the judges weren't able to visit during their day.

"The judges didn't want a media circus following them and we didn't want them to go away with a suitcase full of brochures at the end of the day so the newspaper supplement was ideal."

A shortlist of cities competing for the title of European Capital of Culture 2008 will be announced in the Autumn. The EU should approve the final decision by the end of 2003.

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
e-mail pastill@nep.co.uk