Culture campaign will bring jobs and cash to the region.

A dynamic decade of world-class culture for the North-East has been unveiled.

The region has launched a new vision for a new era in the wake of its bid for European Capital of Culture 2008.

Research compiled by PricewaterhouseCooper has revealed that the bid campaign alone brought a massive injection of cash and jobs to the region. New income directly linked to the bid totalled over pounds 328m and created 6,500 jobs in three years.

Even without the title, the cultural renaissance of Newcastle-Gateshead and the wider region goes on. The ambition to create new investment and jobs through world-class culture and tourism, creating more life chances for thousands more people, is as strong as ever. Culture is recognised as the catalyst and the generator for growth.

PwC's new economic impact survey says those aims are still achievable. The region can still win the pounds 1.2bn income and the 24,000 jobs heralded by the culture title. But it will take longer, up to 2010, and will cost more - pounds 140m.

The launch of culture10 will give the region an international launchpad for the rest of the decade, ensuring the momentum that made Newcastle-Gateshead the nation's favourite continues.

In addition to developments in cultural infrastructure already underway, the first four of many new projects have also been announced: An international river festival will be held every year from 2005 onwards; the feasibility of a Shakespeare festival every year from 2007 is being considered; Newcastle-Gateshead is England's nomination to host the World Summit on Arts and Culture in 2007, and a new report by Sport England and ONE into the economic benefits of major sporting events will be a precursor to attracting more international sports events.

Financial commitment of pounds 60m is already available from Newcastle and Gateshead councils, the Arts Council North East, One NorthEast and Sport England. culture10 will be formed from a powerful private/public partnership and a dedicated team will drive forward the strategy and secure the additional funding required to ensure the success of the region's world-class cultural renewal and regeneration.

It will concentrate on four programme areas: creating international festivals and events; bringing blockbuster exhibitions and commissions; unleashing creativity in communities and marketing cultural activity on a scale never seen before. By 2010 culture10 will deliver:

* At least 10 new world-class cultural facilities;

* At least 10 major sports events;

* At least 10 festivals and events of international calibre;

* At least 10 major blockbuster exhibitions or new commissions;

* At least 10 major new feature films shot in the region;

* At least 10 international collaborations;

* At least 10 new higher education bursaries;

* At least 10 museums refurbished;

* 10 new community based library programmes;

* 10 times as many communities running their own festivals;

* 10,000 new volunteers across the cultural sector.

This will result in double the investment in culture, double the number of jobs created through culture and tourism and double the number of people taking part in cultural programmes and informal learning.