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Why I Choose Birmingham founder returned to city

After stints in London with FHM and Shortlist, Tom Cullen returned to his native Birmingham to launch 'freemium' culture news service

Tom Cullen, founder of lifestyle email I Choose Birmingham

There is lots of great stuff going on in Birmingham – and one man has taken on the task of finding the best of it.

It is a year since journalist Tom Cullen returned from London to establish a weekly email about the best things to do in the city, and he said he hasn't regretted it for a moment.

He has built up a 4,000-strong following for his "freemium" product which aims to inform people about the best things to do in the city's bars, restaurants, museums, galleries, exhibitions and other events.

The father-of-one was born-and-bred in the city and said he wanted to be a part of its renaissance.

"I got everything in place after having worked as a writer and editor for 12 years," he said.

"But I was living in London and every time I travelled back I was genuinely depressed that I had to leave Birmingham.

"Meanwhile, I was watching Birmingham improve and improve and felt the time was right to be a part of what the city was doing."

He added: "I called it I Choose for two reasons. Firstly, I chose Birmingham over London and secondly, there is a view in London that people in Birmingham are there because they are stuck there – like it is some kind of holding pattern waiting to go to London.