Towns urged to enter UK Town of Culture contest

Towns in Shropshire are being urged to enter a contest to be crowned UK Town of Culture 2028.

The government-run competition was launched on Wednesday and towns have until the end of March to indicate they are interested.

The Shropshire councillor responsible for economic growth, Rob Wilson, has written to town clerks in the county and told them winning could boost "tourism, investment, and community pride".

He said Shropshire Council did not have the capacity to support multiple bids, but would give its backing to the bid it felt had the greatest chance of success.

The contest, which is being held for the first time, is open to towns of all sizes and they have been asked to show they have a "vibrant cultural programme".

A shortlist of towns will be announced in the spring and they will then be judged by a panel led by Sir Phil Redmond, which will select three finalists - one small town, one medium and one large.

The winner will be then be chosen from that group and it will receive £3m, with £250,000 going to each of the other two finalists.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she wanted towns to benefit from the same opportunities the UK City of Culture competition provided.

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