In 2003, Belfast had an unsuccessful bid for the 2008 European Capital of Culture. The ambitious bid was run by an independent company called "Imagine Belfast" and boasted that it would "make Belfast the meeting place of Europe's legends where the meaning of history and belief find a home and a sanctuary from caricature, parody and oblivion." Belfast's bid was based on three main themes: ""Through the eyes of a Child"", ""Made in Belfast"", and "To live without walls". These themes of unity and peace and creating a better city for our children became the core of the "Imagine Belfast" bid. Ultimately the bid may have been wrecked by the city's history and volatile politics.