Southampton will celebrate 60 years of being a city on Saturday with a series of activities to mark the occasion.

Southampton was granted city status by a royal charter on February 24, 1964.

The idea of city status first came up in the 1930s to honour King George V’s Silver Jubilee, but the Second World War and subsequent austerity delayed the application until 1958.

Sixty years on, Southampton is celebrating this important milestone by sharing some of the fantastic achievements from various sectors across the city, with the Echo publishing a special supplement on Saturday to celebrate the milestone.

At Portswood, Woolston, and Bitterne libraries, families can enjoy a hot drink, some cake and Southampton themed activities to celebrate 60 years of city status, organised by local friends of libraries groups.

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Daily Echo:

People are also being encouraged to bring in photographs from the last 60 years to build a historical display at Central Library.

The city council’s archive team archive team has pulled together a webpage of previously unseen documents and photographs from the last 60 years, including the Royal Charters.

The Lord Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Valerie Laurent, said: “It’s hard to believe that our fantastic city only has 60 years of city status behind it when you consider all that has been achieved.

“Milestones such as these bring the people of Southampton together.

“I hope everyone can take some time this coming weekend to reflect on something personal to them as well as thinking about what a future Southampton could look like for them.”

Cllr Lorna Fielker, leader of Southampton City Council, added: “The last 60 years, Southampton has proven to be a diverse, cultural city of opportunity and sanctuary.

“As a city, we want to continue to grow, provide for our people and be a safe haven for those in need. We’ve achieved so much together over the decades and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

The celebrations will also see Southampton Football Club encourage a minute of applause during the 60th minute of their game against Millwall and sharing some of the club’s achievements over the last 60 years.

Port operating company DP World plan on getting creative with shipping containers, spelling out ‘Southampton 1964-2024,’ while ABP will encourage all ships in port to sound their whistles at midday to mark the occasion.