STOKE-ON-TRENT'S bid for UK City of Culture status in 2017 will focus on its existing strengths as a culture and heritage destination, as well as the future potential of the city's £1.5 billion regeneration programme.

Main focal points are likely to include:

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Hanley

Prominently situated museum housing the world's foremost collection of Staffordshire pottery and ceramics and showcase for north Staffordshire's visual artists.

The Wedgwood Museum, Barlaston

New £10.5 million museum showing the rich history of the world-renowned pottery giant and its influence on the area over the last 250 years. Exhibits include historic company archives containing thousands of rare documents and more than 6,000 ceramic artefacts.

Burslem town centre

The Mother Town boasts some of the city's best architecture. Highlights include the ornately-decorated Wedgwood Institute and nearby Burslem School of Art.

Ongoing regeneration has attracted a growing number of artistic, creative and hi-tech businesses to the town, which the city council hopes will lead to a cultural renaissance.

The Cultural Quarter, Hanley

Created in the late 1990s to restore Stoke-on-Trent's image as a national venue for the performing arts, the costly project delivered three of the region's top theatres.

The Regent Theatre, above, opened in 1999 and regularly hosts touring West End and international productions, while refurbished Victoria Hall has built up a reputation as a key venue for touring music, drama and comedy acts.

The Mitchell Memorial Theatre, undergoing major refurbishment work, provides a vital showcase for young performers from the region.

Stoke town centre

By 2017, the neglected town centre should be transformed into a thriving leisure and shopping destination steeped in rich cultural heritage.

Attractions would include a redeveloped Spode site, distinctive traditional shops and an array of continental-style bars, cafés and restaurants.