Shrewsbury and Oswestry fail to make culture shortlist

Oswestry, Bishop's Castle, Shrewsbury, Telford, Market Drayton, and Bridgnorth were among 398 entries from across the UK for the inaugural title, but none have made the shortlist of 15.

The competition, launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), is designed to celebrate culture, creativity, and community pride in towns across the UK.

Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary, said: "I want to say a massive congratulations to the fifteen shortlisted towns and I wish them luck in the next round of the competition.

"The fact that we received so many applications just goes to show how proud people are of their towns.

" When I launched this competition, I wanted to shine a light on our amazing towns all across the UK and the huge contribution they make to our national life.

"I am so glad that so many towns have applied and I hope each and every town, whether they have been shortlisted or not, is incredibly proud of the work they have done to champion their local community."

The UK Town of Culture award aims to deliver a programme of cultural events and activities that will boost investment, tourism, and local pride.

It is inspired by the success of the UK City of Culture scheme, which has previously been hosted in cities such as Coventry and Hull.

Chair of the independent judging panel, Sir Phil Redmond, said: "The response to the competition has been, to say the least, overwhelming, quite literally from all four corners of the UK.

"It has been fantastic that nearly 400 towns have come forward, sharing their sense of pride, ambition and desire to demonstrate how much they have, and continue to contribute to our national story.

"I look forward to visiting those towns that have made the list and I am sure that, just like City of Culture, those that didn’t manage it will have found the experience of taking part worthwhile in strengthening partnerships, raising awareness and reminding us all of the depth and spread of the UK’s cultural landscape."

None of the unsuccessful West Midlands towns, including those in Shropshire, were named in the final 15.

Which towns were nominated to be Town of Culture

• Shortlisted places include Ilfracombe, Isle of Bute, Lerwick, Sandown, Strabane, and Stockton Town Centre Ward in the small towns category.
• In the medium towns category are Corby, Great Yarmouth, Leith, Pontypridd, and Port Talbot.
• The large towns category includes Basildon, Birkenhead, Grimsby, and Rotherham.

Each shortlisted town will receive £60,000 to develop a full bid for the next stage of the competition.

An overall winner will be announced early next year and will receive a £3 million investment to deliver their cultural programme.

The two finalists in the other categories will each receive £250,000 to support part of their proposed programme.

A season of culture will be hosted by the winning town in 2028, aiming to create a lasting legacy of cultural participation, economic growth, and community pride.

Previous UK City of Culture winners have attracted more than £1 billion in additional investment and welcomed an estimated two million visitors during their title year.

The competition is part of the UK Government’s Pride in Place Programme and its wider national renewal agenda.

It sits alongside the UK City of Culture 2029 competition, which encourages both cities and towns to celebrate and showcase their cultural strengths.

All entrants to the Town of Culture competition were invited to create a postcard as part of their bid, each celebrating the unique character of their town.

These postcards have been displayed digitally by National Museums Liverpool and will remain part of its national collection.