There was crushing disappointment for Leeds leaders in 2017 when their dreams of the city being named European Capital of Culture in 2023 went up in smoke.
Due to the UK's vote to leave the European Union the previous year - a decision opposed by a narrow majority in Leeds itself - organisers ruled British cities could no longer bid for the annual honour.
But with the backing of local businesses and a public poll, city officials decided regardless of the official contest, they were going to organise a year celebrating the culture of Yorkshire's biggest city anyway.
