BEVERLEY – Beverley is preparing to submit an Expression of Interest to become the UK’s first Town of Culture 2028.
The new national title has been created by the government to recognise towns with a strong cultural identity and the ability to deliver a major year of events and activity. The winning town will receive £3 million to stage its programme in 2028. Two other finalists will each receive £250,000, while shortlisted towns will receive development funding to help prepare their final bids.
At this stage, Beverley is not submitting a full bid. This is the first round of the process, with the deadline for expressions of interest falling on 31 March. Residents are being encouraged to back the town’s case through a public survey, with strong local support expected to form part of the evidence.
Beverley Town Council has described the bid as a natural next step for the town. That reflects the obvious case Beverley can make. Few towns of its size can point to the same combination of historic buildings, churches, markets, festivals, arts groups, performers, community organisations and public events. Culture in Beverley is not confined to one venue or one weekend. It runs through the place.
If Beverley is shortlisted, the next stage would involve building a fuller bid with support from partners across the town, including schools, arts organisations, community groups, businesses and cultural venues. The aim would be to shape a year of culture that is accessible, town wide and rooted in local identity, while also using spaces such as Beverley Minster, St Mary’s Church and the town centre in new ways.
The benefits could be significant. Town of Culture 2028 would bring national attention, extra funding, new opportunities for local artists and performers, and a stronger platform for Beverley’s wider visitor economy. It could also help bring more activity into neighbourhoods across the town and give local organisations the chance to work together on a much bigger scale.
Mayor Alison Healy has called it “an opportunity to open Beverley to the world”. That is the wider point of the bid. Town of Culture 2028 would not simply celebrate Beverley’s past. It would give the town a chance to present itself as one of the country’s most distinctive and culturally confident places in the present.
There is competition. Other East Yorkshire towns are also entering the race. But Beverley has every reason to believe it belongs in the running. As the first stage now goes in, the question is no longer whether Beverley has the credentials. It is whether the rest of the country is ready to recognise them.
Sounds great.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
It is a privilege to live in Beverley because of the year round eclectic mix of attractions on offer. The combination of historic buildings, churches, markets, festivals, arts groups, performers, community organisations and public events is truly outstanding. A cultural thread runs through our town, which is greatly appreciated by both visitors and locals.
I am a complete newcomer to Beverley so am finding it a fascinating place to explore and get to know and live in. For a town of its size it has so much in terms of the Arts and culture, history, architecture, the Minster as well as much of its built and natural environments to offer an excellent foundation to create an amazing Town of Culture for ‘the rest of the country to recognise’! Whenever I tell friends I’ve moved to Beverley (from Lincoln, another unspoiled place rich in history and culture) the response is ‘Oh Beverley! It’s lovely…….!’ So iI think there are already many, many people out there in the country ready to learn more!
So I think you should go for it!!