We visit Sunderland - which became a city in 1992 - to find out from our friends in the north how it has changed their home

"GO all out for it." This is the message to Newportonians from the leader of Sunderland City council, Colin Anderson, who has seen the former town grow and prosper under city status.

Councillor Anderson told the Argus that from 1992, "Sunderland started to get a smile back on it's face" and changes started happening. Remembering life before Sunderland's bid for city status was accepted, he said: "At the time we were struggling from a lot of hard knocks; we'd lost our ship building industry and the coal mines were just about to be closed.

"It was a very dark period and everyone was down-hearted. City status said to people in Sunderland, 'people from outside admire you', and there's no greater recognition than that. The same year our polytechnic became a university, and our football team went to the Premiership. It was that kind of year.

"Since that time we've attracted enormous amounts of industry to the city. It's difficult to market yourselves, but we could say 'We are Britain's newest city'.

"We were on the front page of a lot of newspapers and it is difficult for places like Sunderland and Newport to do that.

"People took an interest in us and news broadcasters came up to see us, all of which multiplied the effect getting city status had.

"We've now got the best call centre set up in Britain, with 7,000 people working in call centres or service centres. Nike have their European headquarters here and as fast as we build a building, people are going into it."

He added: "We've also regenerated the city centre with a £70 million shopping centre and we've got the Stadium of Light to replace the old football stadium.

"We've just finished the regeneration of the park, and the museum and Winter Gardens. And we've built a yacht marina and a riverside trail.

"The lift Sunderland has had is enormous. It's difficult to say it's because it became a city, but I'm certain it's had a great deal to do with it. City status was the boost we needed to get things going. It all seems to have taken off at that point.

"It's changed the council. I think the council felt it had achieved something and it gave them the heart to try and achieve more.

"It's interesting how many new businesses were set up with names like, New City Laundry or New City Window Cleaning. People wanted to be associated with the new city."

But Councillor Anderson is under no illusions that Sunderland has not still got a long way to go. "Our unemployment is down to 1975 levels, although it's still double the national average. It was 18 per cent, but is now seven per cent," he said.

"And 11 out of Sunderland's 25 wards are still in the top ten for deprivation. My postcode SR1 is the poorest in Britain. But how much worse would those problems have been had we not had city status. I think it would have been far worse.

"I would strongly encourage Newport to go for it. If people from outside Newport say to those inside, 'you've done something to deserve it', it makes you feel good.

"Even if the feeling only lasts a year, you can accomplish far greater things in that year than if you didn't have it.

"My message to the people of Newport is: 'Chin up, best foot forward, it will do you good'."