Sidmouth – UK Town of Culture Expression of Interest to Bid Announced
Sidmouth Town Council is delighted to announce that it is entering the national competition for Sidmouth to be the UK’s Town of Culture for 2028. The inaugural competition will mirror the UK City of Culture programme which has delivered a range of innovative arts projects and billions of pounds of investment across the UK.
Sidmouth’s bid will bring together a range of partners, including local arts, events and voluntary organisations, businesses and schools to design a cultural programme for the town. This means using creative projects to strengthen the community and provide inclusive, accessible places and activities for everyone in the Sid Valley (and those who visit us) to enjoy.
The Town Council’s bid will build on Sidmouth’s heritage and existing cultural strengths, including the town’s vibrant festival season and year-round programme of visual arts, music, theatre, dance and literature events. It would seek to reach the whole population and break down barriers to accessing arts and culture.
As well as expanding access to cultural events, the bid would also seek to invest in art in community spaces, creating a lasting legacy for the town.
If successful, the Town of Culture bid would attract significant additional funding to support the arts and culture offering in the Valley.
Cllr Hilary Nelson, Chair of Sidmouth Town Council said: “By expressing an interest in becoming the UK Town of Culture for 2028, we are showing our pride in Sidmouth’s existing position as a hub for culture and the arts, but also an awareness of how we can use creativity as a driving force for sustainable positive change in the Sid Valley. We will empower people from across all sections of the community to unleash their inner artist, creating places and experiences that are both valuable and meaningful and which bring people together and help address the challenges our community faces. It’s a great opportunity for us all to learn about creativity, ourselves and others and in the process create a sustainable plan for continuing to deliver creative opportunities in the Sid Valley.”
Louise Cole, Trustee of Sidmouth School of Art, the Town Council’s lead delivery partner for the project, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to share our town’s creative story past and present, to spark new collaborations and inspire everyone to shape and take part in our rich culture in all its forms. The positive impact of arts and culture on health and wellbeing and for the economy, for all ages is well known. This is a wonderful way to galvanise, excite and engage our creative imaginations together.”
The deadline for submission of initial expressions of interest for the Town of Culture project is 31st March, with the town being notified later in the Spring if it has been shortlisted to proceed to the next stage to submit a full application.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Baker