Peel and Douglas face stiff city competition

Two Island towns are facing stiff competition as they bid to become the first cities in the Isle of Man.

Peel and Douglas have both applied for city status in a contest held to celebrate the queen's platinum jubilee next year.

But the list of finalists unveiled yesterday shows a total of 39 towns have applied from the UK, the Cayman Islands, Gibraltar and the Falklands.

It is the first time towns in British overseas territories and crown dependencies have been able to apply.

Winners will be announced in June 2022.

A full list of towns looking for a city upgrade can be found on the UK Government website.