Sheffield stands ready to host Eurovision and show the best the region has to offer - Oliver Coppard

We’ve got the venues, the heritage, and the passion that Eurovision deserves. Ours is a bid backed by the whole region. So let’s crack open that Bucks Fizz and bring the 2023 song contest to South Yorkshire.

I can’t think of a city and a region which embodies Eurovision more. I don’t need to remind you about our amazing musical heritage, its breadth, spanning genres and decades - Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Human League, Self Esteem, Def Leppard, Joe Cocker…

And obviously, we have an outstanding track record in hosting world events - World Snooker, the Women’s Euros, Tour De France. By any measure there is only one choice, and that’s South Yorkshire.

But we can’t forget that the 2023 contest is no ordinary one. This year’s winners, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra performed in Turin, against the backdrop of Russia’s brutal bombardment of their home country. It is in these awful circumstances that the rightful hosts cannot guarantee their country will be safe enough to put on Eurovision, so the baton has been passed to us, the runners up to hold it on their behalf.

As 2022’s runner up, the UK’s Sam Ryder said, this is Ukraine’s party, we’re just inviting them to hold it at our house. And Sheffield is the obvious house for this particular party.

South Yorkshire has strong links with Ukraine. Sheffield is twinned with the city of Donetsk in the east of the country, a city which has sadly seen some of the war’s most brutal battles. Our families here have welcomed hundreds of refugees fleeing the fighting. Sheffield was the UK’s first City of Sanctuary, a place that takes pride in the welcome it offers refugees and those seeking safety.

And it’s not just Sheffield that will host this party - don’t get me wrong, Sheffield has more than enough on offer to compete with the UK’s biggest cities - but this is a bid backed by the whole of the region. South Yorkshire has come together, every corner of our region working in partnership to make this happen here. We’re also – and most importantly – working closely with our Ukrainian communities, to make sure our offer is one which reflects the country’s culture and represents Ukraine in the best way possible. This is their party, in our house.

And no one puts on a party quite like South Yorkshire.

We’re home to Tramlines, Europe’s biggest inner-city music festival. Typical of South Yorkshire’s innovative, do-it-yourself attitude, the festival began as a free event spanning Sheffield’s iconic music venues, but it’s since grown into a major festival attracting some of the biggest acts around. Its spirit remains in the Fringe at Tramlines – a free programme of music spreading the atmosphere across the whole city.

We all watched and cheered the Lionesses this summer as Sheffield transformed into a festival of football. We welcomed fans from Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, we danced with them on Devonshire Green, we cheered and sang with them as they made their way to Bramall Lane. Our communities embraced the colour, the music and the joy that they brought to South Yorkshire, the home of football.

This is South Yorkshire’s time to shine. We are home to a vibrant grassroots cultural scene, and we have the experience of hosting world-class international events like the World Snooker championships every year. Our cultural offer rivals any in the country, with the biggest theatre scene outside London. Ours is a region of creators and makers, we are full of talented people who can make things happen, who break the mould and push boundaries

South Yorkshire is my home, I was born and raised here. I know we’ve been battered and bruised by the decline of industry, our confidence chipped away, undermined by austerity. We’ve been reluctant to shout about ourselves, to stand up and show the world what we’re capable of. For too long things have been done to South Yorkshire, it’s time we did things for South Yorkshire.

This is Ukraine’s party, and we will host for them, with them in our house and in solidarity with their fight.

It would mean the world for South Yorkshire to host Ukraine’s Eurovision 2023. Sheffield is the home of music and we really do put on one hell of a house party.