London calling for Mayor

Published on 31 October 2024

City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood will attend the upcoming City Nation Place Awards in London next week as part of a self-funded trip.

Launceston Central's The Lounge project has been nominated in the Placemaking Initiative category of the awards.

Mayor Garwood said Launceston would be up against entries from Denmark, Hungary and three locations in the USA.

"Having also been named as Australia’s only entry as the number four Region in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2025, this has further fuelled my ambitious plans and advocacy for the city," Mayor Garwood said.

Mayor Garwood has been recently seen fraternising with the likes of Academy Award winner Jared Leto and Katy Perry as well as numerous State and Federal politicians.

"Launceston is on the map," he said.

"We have celebrities shouting us out, our arts and culture scene is world class, our food and beverage industry is globally recognised with UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy accreditation and we have sports people — literally the best in the world.

"There is serious momentum around Launceston right now, and I'm keen to explore new opportunities, create new networks and to continue to talk about Launceston with similar communities around the globe.

"If we want to go places, then we have to go places, and this is an opportunity to promote Launceston to a new audience and to forge new relationships."