Aardman Animations and their most famous creations Wallace and Gromit are getting behind Bristol’s bid to be a host city for the FIFA World Cup in 2018. Today, Tuesday, 1 September the plasticine pair joined staff from Aardman at their new headquarters in Gas Ferry Road to show their support for Bristol’s World Cup bid.

The Aardman stars have lent their support to put Bristol on the world map for sport, culture and tourism. The city is aiming to be part of the world’s biggest sporting event in 2018. If successful, Bristol could be selected by the England 2018 bid team to host three or four First Round matches and possibly a Quarter-Final.

Miles Bullough, Head of Broadcast at Aardman Animations, said: “Aardman is proud to support Bristol’s bid to be a host city for the 2018 world cup and we hope that our support will encourage others to join the campaign. It would be a fantastic boost for the city and great for football fans, in the company and across the region.”

Bristol faces competition from 15 other English cities across the country. The England 2018 bid team will decide on a minimum of 12 venues in December after a second visit to Bristol in September and receipt of the final round of bids from the 16 aspiring host cities in November.

Successful cities will need to show they have the necessary infrastructure to host the games but will also need to demonstrate public support.

Read more about Bristol’s 2018 Host bid at www.bristol2018.net