Kimberley wants to be UK Town of Culture in 2028
Kimberley is officially throwing its hat into the ring to be UK Town of Culture in 2028.
Kimberley Council unanimously supported the formation of a working group to put together an official Expression of Interest for the UK Town of Culture 2028 at a full council meeting on January 29.
Modelled on the Government's City of Culture scheme – which was launched under the last Labour Goverment back in 2009 – UK Town of Culture is an opportunity for towns across the UK to bid for the title.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) website explains: “For the first time, DCMS is inviting towns across the UK to enter the competition to showcase original storytelling, and empowering, accessible culture.
"The competition is targeted at all towns, whether small, medium or large.
"Please refer to the ‘who can bid’ section of this guidance, any town that can fulfil these requirements will be considered.
"Inspired by the success of the flagship UK City of Culture, which is a proven model for cultural placemaking, this competition aims to spotlight the cultural contribution of towns to our national story.
"In order to ensure we are able to showcase towns of different sizes, we will be introducing small, medium and large-size category winners and from these three designations, an overall UK Town of Culture winner will be selected.
The winning town will be awarded £3m to deliver a cultural programme in 2028 of around six months.
"Additionally, the two finalists from their category will receive £250,000 each to deliver elements of their bid.”
Lisa Nandy MP (Lab), Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, said: “Everybody deserves the chance to share their pride in the place they call home and to have access to quality art, music, dance and drama wherever they live.
"That is why we are launching the UK Town of Culture, to celebrate towns and help to create a lasting cultural legacy.
"We will select the best small, medium and large towns from the full applications we receive.”
Kimberley Council’s working group will now begin to formulate plans, engage with the community and invite key local stakeholders to become involved in the process of putting together its Expression of Interest bid before the deadline date of March 31.