Crewe gets in the running for the UK’s first Town of Culture
Community
Crewe has been selected to submit an Expression of Interest for the UK’s first Town of Culture, organisers have announced. Now the wait begins.
A statement said: “We’ll find out by the end of spring if we progress to the next stage, where successful towns receive £60,000 to carry out consultations and develop their bids.
“Crewe has a rich story and heritage we’re proud to share, with national significance in engineering and impact in rail history. The town is supported by the Crewe Cultural Consortium and a growing network of local talent and volunteer groups ready to bring ideas to life.
“Our infrastructure is expanding too, with the soon-to-open Cheshire Archives and The Dome Youth Zone offering new spaces for creativity, learning, and community engagement.
“Already, community events like Cheshire AfroFest show the power of local volunteers creating special celebrations. Crewe also shines with young talent from musicians like Oli NG and spoken word artists such as Jamie Lynch to DOPE male dance performance company to dancers from local schools demonstrating creativity across generations.”
If Crewe progresses, the winning town will receive £3 million for a year of culture, with two runners-up awarded £250,000 each to develop part of their creative plans.
“Crewe has always been a place where ideas meet, skills are shaped, and creativity grows. We’ve already begun conversations with local people, community groups, and organisations, and if Crewe progresses, we’ll be working with even more people to shape the programme.”
The bid campaign is led by the Crewe Cultural Consortium and CreweCreates a well-established partnership including Crewe Lyceum, Crewe Town Council, Cheshire East Council, Crewe Heritage Trust, Cheshire’s archives: a story shared Crewe Engineering & Design UTC, Cheshire College – South & West, Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity, Crewe Library, Discover Crewe and South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
For more on the bid go to https://onecrewe.co.uk/town-of-culture-bid-draws-community-support/
