ALCESTER is in the running to be granted city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

The town is among 39 places vying for the status from around the world, as for the first-time towns in Britain’s overseas territories and crown dependencies have been able to apply for the civic honour.

Fellow Midlands applicants include Warwick and Dudley alongside competitors further afield such as Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands.

Alcester is among the smallest towns in the running, along with Peel on the Isle of Man and Marazion in Cornwall.

Councillor Susan Juned, district councillor for Alcester Town, supported the bid as a volunteer and said she believed the application is a celebration of the town and its community.

She used her experience as chair of the Roman Alcester Museum to help the bid as applicants have to showcase their cultural heritage and identity.

She said: “We are Roman town with a long proud history. It’s fantastic community here in Alcester.

“I don’t think we celebrate Alcester enough. We hear a lot about neighbouring places a lot, but people who live in the town are very proud.

“Whatever the result, we’re proud of putting this together to show what Alcester has, and its spirit and community.

"We're have something to celebrate whether we get it or not, it's raising the profile of the town."

A Warwickshire County Council spokesperson said: “Initiatives that champion our towns and highlight Warwickshire as a great place to live, work and do business are of course very welcome and we will be working very closely with our partners in the district, borough, town and parish councils to see how we can best support their bids."

The winner will be decided in spring 2022, after being approved by the Queen, and announced shortly afterwards.