How proud Corby girl Claire McColgan brought Eurovision to Liverpool

A former Our Lady and Pope John pupil who has been instrumental in fortifying Liverpool’s status as a renowned cultural centre has spoken of her pride of growing up in Corby – and how she still comes back to the town every few weeks.

Last week Claire McColgan received a CBE for her ground-breaking work as director of Culture Liverpool.

And she barely had time to sit down before continuing her current project, heading up the Liverpool City Council’s team that’s organising the huge logistical operation behind the Eurovision Song Contest.

It was Claire’s idea to bring the prestigious event to the north west city – even before the UK’s Sam Ryder had come second in last year’s contest.

Claire, who grew up off Collingwood Avenue on the Lodge Park estate, was watching the 2022 competition on TV and saw Ryder rising up the leader board, and immediately texted Cllr Harry Doyle (Liverpool Council cabinet member for culture): ‘Oh, my god, it could be coming to the UK, should we go for it?’

The winners Ukraine said they would not be able to host the contest so the UK stepped-in and a fierce bidding contest got under way, with Liverpool emerging as the winners among 20 cities.

Claire told the Northants Telegraph: “I didn’t really understand the Eurovision voting system as it’s all a bit complicated but as soon as it looked like Sam was doing well, I got my phone out and texted Cllr Doyle.

"We were very determined and we got it. It’s just brilliant.”

The contest will bring hundreds of thousand visitors to Liverpool over a key two-week period. The contest itself will be at the M&S Bank Arena on the Pier Head. There are nine shows to put on at the arena, as well as a huge fan village to accommodate.

Claire’s still got more than a hint of a Corby accent and talks of her home town with a huge sense of pride. Claire and her three siblings attended St Brendan’s RC Primary and Our Lady and Pope John RC Secondary, which has now closed down. Her mum Barbara, who worked in Baker’s Oven and former steelworker dad Michael, still live in the town and she comes back every few weeks to see them.

She says Corby has come a long way since she left back in 1988 after completing her a-levels and an obligatory stint working in the town’s factories. She headed to Australia for six months before returning to the UK to do a media and drama degree in Liverpool.

She said: “I’m the only one in my whole family to go to university.

"I had such a happy time growing up in Corby and you sometimes don’t realise until you move away that other people don’t see the same place you did.

"When I was a teenager the library burned down and they didn’t rebuild it.

"There wasn’t really much for teenagers to do but it was just home. I’ve been in Liverpool for 32 years but I’m still very attached to Corby.

"Corby’s so like Liverpool. The people are warm and welcoming and down to earth.

"It’s changed so much. The town centre looks totally different. They’ve worked so hard to improve things.

"I do pinch myself sometimes because I’m still that girl from Corby. You have that imposter syndrome because I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth but as I’ve got older I’ve got more confidence and I don’t try to be something I’m not. I’m so proud to be from Corby.”

After Claire completed her degree she stayed in the city and eventually went on to went to work for Liverpool City Council where she was remained for two decades, raising her own family there.

She originally joined the council’s Capital of Culture bid team as Head of Regeneration and went on to deliver the biggest, and most complex, large-scale regeneration programme in the city’s history, European Capital of Culture 2008.

Claire was then promoted to director of Culture Liverpool, a role she has held ever since. She oversees city halls, parks, culture, arts and the visitor economy, Liverpool Film Office, Cruise Liverpool and Marketing Liverpool, with a budget of £30 million and 200 staff.

In 2020, she was appointed by the Government as Vice Chair of the UK City of Culture panel and is now a well-respected and sought-after national and international adviser on best practice in culture.

Among the incredible events she has organised were Liverpool Football Club’s victory parades in 2019 and 2022.

During her time there, Liverpool has been transformed into a huge tourist destination, welcoming 60m visitors attracted by the city’s rich cultural, musical and industrial heritage.

Last week Claire was awarded the CBE by Princess Anne at Windsor Castle. Afterwards she said: “I have had an absolutely fantastic day. I feel truly humbled to receive this special recognition for the work I deliver, which has roots in this city that I love.

"So for a girl from Corby: thank you for the recognition, thanks to my team, but above all, thanks to the best city in the world.”

Tickets for Eurovision go on sale at 12noon today (Tuesday, March 7) via Ticketmaster. You can bag yours here. About 3,000 tickets will be made available for displaced Ukrainians living in the UK.

The contest will be screened live worldwide on the BBC on May 13.