Wakefield Council shortlisted for prestigious national award
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Wakefield Council has been shortlisted in the Best Council Services Team category of The Municipal Journal (MJ) Achievement Awards 2025.
The Council has been recognised for Our Year 2024 - a 366-day cultural programme which ran throughout last year. It was a celebration of culture, creativity, and movement for everyone, everywhere.
This included supporting over 1,000 community-based activities and delivering a once-in-a-lifetime 'moment of wonder': The Hatchling. Created by Trigger, it is the world’s largest human-operated puppet that is able to fly. The event saw an enormous dragon take to the streets of Wakefield, to the delight and wonder of residents and visitors.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for this award. Our Year boosted local pride and encouraged cultural participation - with a particular focus on attracting new audiences to cultural events, and the wellbeing benefits it provides.
“Despite the weather meaning the dragon sadly couldn’t take flight as planned, tens of thousands of people still enjoyed seeing and interacting with The Hatchling. So many people commented how it made them proud of where they live.
“The Hatchling showed that large-scale cultural events can have a transformative effect on our communities, bringing togetherness, joy and a swelling of pride in the place that we call home.
“We’re incredibly proud of the team who pulled this all together and brought magic to our city.”
Cllr Hannah Appleyard
Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport
The MJ Awards acknowledge the tremendous effort of those in local government dedicating themselves to supporting local communities, facing challenge after challenge, but never giving up in the face of adversity.
It is an inspiring event with people coming together to witness each other's achievements and gain the recognition that their hard work has made a difference in the communities they serve.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Friday 20 June 2025.
For more information about the awards, visit https://www.mjawards.co.uk/