The places hoping to become first Town of Culture

Multiple towns across the south of England are aiming to become the first-ever UK Town of Culture 2028.

The competition has drawn bids from Lymington and Basingstoke in Hampshire, Woodley and Slough in Berkshire and Banbury, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

In Dorset, there is a joint application from Weymouth and Portland and a combined bid from East Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Applications closed on Tuesday, with a shortlist expected to be announced this spring.

UK Town of Culture is a brand new Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) competition.

Inspired by the success of the flagship UK City of Culture, it aims to "celebrate towns and help to create a lasting cultural legacy".

The government will select the best small, medium and large towns from the applications it receives.

One of these will be named UK Town of Culture 2028 and receive £3m, while the other two finalists will each receive £250,000 to deliver an "ambitious" programme of cultural activity in 2028.

This is in addition to development grants for shortlisted places to work up their full bids.

The last Labour government launched the UK City of Culture competition in 2009 to celebrate the enormous contribution people and places across the UK have made to its cultural life.

Since its launch, winners Derry/Londonderry, Hull, Coventry and now Bradford, have delivered a year of "rich cultural" activity rooted in their unique identities and drawing on local strengths and stories, says the government.

Following its success, the search for the UK's first Town of Culture was started.

Banbury and Wallingford are the latest towns to enter.

David Hingley, leader of Cherwell District Council, said the competition was an "opportunity to show the rich, diverse and historic heritage that makes Banbury so special and unique, and to leave a lasting legacy for the future".

"From our outdoor market, thriving community initiatives, popular festivals, grassroots arts and wellbeing projects, to youth sporting programmes, culture is already at the heart of Banbury, and this bid will help us shine a spotlight on the town, its people and its stories," he added.

Matt Gleave, events and communications manager at Wallingford Town Council, said the town had an "extraordinary cultural story to tell".

The town council said the proposed programme, under the working title "Small Town, Big Stories", would focus on "revealing and connecting the layers of Wallingford's past and present, combining heritage, arts, storytelling and community-led activity".

Wokingham Borough Council said Woodley's expression of interest would highlight its "rich" aviation history as the former home to Woodley Aerodrome, post-war reinvention to its "diverse community spirit today".

Mark Ashwell, executive member for economic development, sport, leisure and arts at the council, said: "The sense of community in Woodley is already very strong and this competition could help us go further - creating even more opportunities for residents and visitors, supporting local groups and businesses and shining a spotlight on everything that makes the town special."