Reading is aiming to be one of the UK's newest cities ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this year. The town's official bid was launched in December following a consultation with residents, businesses and the voluntary sector.

There are 38 places on the shortlist, including Reading and several other towns in the south east. The list also features Stanley - the capital of the Falklands Islands which is 8,000 miles away from the UK.

When submitting the bid, council leader Jason Brock said: “Everybody has their own ideas about what makes Reading so special and we have captured those in the bid document. Our powerful and resilient economy, our rich history, our unrivalled connectivity, our vibrant cultural and arts scene, our glorious diversity, our amazing voluntary sector and our strides towards zero carbon, all come together to create the unique blend which is Reading and which makes it such a great place to live, work and visit.

READ MORE: Reading launches official bid for city status in 2022

If you fancy yourself as an expert on UK geography, try our quiz to see how many of these would-be cities you can pinpoint on a map. Hopefully you will be able to locate Reading if it appears!

Applicants were asked to explain the “distinct identity and community” that meant their area deserved to become a city, as well as any royal associations. The winners will be decided at some point this spring and there’s no official maximum number of places that could be handed the coveted status.

Announcing the 2022 shortlist late last year, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is an exciting chance for local areas to become cities and level up opportunities for all. As well as fostering local pride and potential, this competition is a great way to mark Her Majesty’s 70-year reign.”

The exact date of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was on February 6. But celebrations will be held over a four-day bank holiday from Thursday June 2 to Sunday June 5 – including an extra bank holiday on June 3.

Earlier this year, the former town of Southend-on-Sea in Essex was officially granted city status in honour of the area’s former MP Sir David Amess. Sir David, who died after suffering multiple stab wounds at a constituency surgery in October 2021, had long campaigned for Southend to be given the accolade.

Here’s the full list of places, including Reading, in line for city status:

  • Alcester, Warwickshire

  • Ballymena, County Antrim

  • Bangor, County Down

  • Blackburn, Lancashire

  • Bolsover, Derbyshire

  • Boston, Lincolnshire

  • Bournemouth, Dorset

  • Coleraine, County Londonderry

  • Colchester, Essex

  • Crawley, West Sussex

  • Crewe, Cheshire

  • Doncaster, South Yorkshire

  • Dorchester, Dorset

  • Douglas, Isle of Man

  • Dudley, West Midlands

  • Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway

  • Dunfermline, Fife

  • Elgin, Moray

  • George Town, Cayman Islands

  • Gibraltar, Gibraltar

  • Goole, East Yorkshire

  • Greenock, Renfrewshire

  • Guildford, Surrey

  • Livingston, West Lothian

  • Medway, Kent

  • Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire

  • Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

  • Newport and Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight

  • Northampton, Northamptonshire

  • Oban, Argyll and Bute

  • Reading, Berkshire

  • Peel, Isle of Man

  • St Andrews, Fife

  • Stanley, Falkland Islands

  • South Ayrshire, Ayrshire and Arran

  • Warrington, Cheshire

  • Warwick, Warwickshire

  • Wrexham, Clwyd

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